


Hounds

by Half



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F, supernatural!Nic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9431939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: And suddenly, her vision blurs, and when it refocuses, she isn’t looking at Waverly anymore.All she can see is something big, and dark, and so clearly pure evil that it sends ice cold shivers through Nicole’s body.Waverly isn’t Waverly anymore.And Nicole can see it.





	1. staring shadows in the eye

**Author's Note:**

> Evil Plot Cohort: TheGaySmurf

_ DECEMBER 22 _

 

She wakes and her entire body is burning.

The desperate effort to rid herself of her heavy layers of sheets and blankets only sends her into a ball of pain as her bruised ribs twist and ache.

It is not exactly a good night.

Nicole lies on top of her bed, panting in her heavy winter pajamas, ignoring the cat’s irritated meows as she’s shuffled off by the moving covers. Exhausted, in mild agony, Nicole wanders into the bathroom to splash cold water onto her face in an effort to find something cooling.

When she looks up, she swears that the face looking back at her from the mirror is not her own. Sunken cheeks, shadowed eyes, flames replacing the iris and pupil. Then she blinks, and it’s gone.

It takes the heat with it.

 

+++

 

_[WAVERLY: 09:13] Hey. How are you feeling?_

_[NICOLE: 10:04] Sorry. I just woke up. It hurts but not too bad. Can I see you later?_

_[NICOLE: 11:11] Waves?_

_[NICOLE: 12:37] Dude you’re starting to freak me out. Please call me._

 

+++

 

When Nicole finally gets a call from an Earp that day, it’s not from the one she would’ve hoped for.

“Hey, Wynonna, is everything okay?” Nicole asks as she seals up a bottle of Gatorade and slides it back into her fridge. “I’ve been trying to reach Waverly. I was actually about to call you, and-”

“Nicole.”

The tone makes Nicole freeze. It’s the kind of tone people take before they say bad news.

Cops always know that tone.

“What’s going on?” she demands, her grip on her cellphone tightening.

“Waverly’s…” Wynonna hesitates, her voice betraying her fear. “Waverly’s okay. But. Something’s up, and I need you to come to the storage units on Lakewood. Number nine.”

“Should I bring anything?” Nicole asks after a pause.

There’s a long moment, as if Wynonna’s distracted, before she says, “Yeah. Your gun. … And if you have a taser, bring that too.”

 

+++

 

She isn’t sure what she expects.

But it’s definitely not Wynonna and Doc standing a good ten feet away from a cage set up in the middle of a large storage unit.

A cage holding Waverly Earp.

“Guys what… the hell…?”

“Oo, new player,” Waverly says, leaning against the front of the cage and shooting a cruel, unnatural grin at Nicole. “Who would you be?”

“Don’t listen to her,” Wynonna says grimly, heading to intercept Nicole. “It’s too complicated to explain. But Lucado stopped her envoy in order to figure out why Bobo isn’t in her truck anymore, so this is the only chance Doc and I have to get Dolls back and put a stop to the missiles before Lucado’s out of town and Dolls is at some black site. I need you to keep an eye on Waverly.”

Nicole’s attention drifts as she stares at the unfamiliar grin lighting Waverly’s face. The evil glint in her eyes.

And suddenly, her vision blurs, and when it refocuses, she isn’t looking at Waverly anymore.

All she can see is something big, and dark, and so clearly pure evil that it sends ice cold shivers through Nicole’s body.

Waverly isn’t Waverly anymore.

And Nicole can _see it_.

 

+++

 

“So they left you to play guard dog all alone? Not very nice of them.”

Nicole paces by the door, doing her best to ignore the shadowy… _thing_ that’s using Waverly’s voice.

She doesn’t understand why she’s the only one that sees the demon instead of Waverly.

She figures maybe– _maybe_ –it’s because they’re…

Well, the last she heard, Waverly said that Nicole _wasn’t_ her girlfriend, so Nicole has no damn clue what’s going on.

“Excuse me, puppy,” the demon says in Waverly’s singsong voice. “Would you mind letting me out of this cell? It’s quite dull in here.”

Nicole snorts and takes out her phone to check if Wynonna and Doc have contacted her with any progress. “I’m not letting you out until I have Waverly back, or until I have a specific reason that letting you out will _get_ Waverly back.”

“Ahhh. Have a soft spot for this vessel, do you?”

“She’s not a _vessel_ ,” Nicole snarls, rounding on the demon and flinching as she looks at it. “She’s _Waverly._ ”

The demon chuckles softly, and Nicole shivers. “Puppy love. How sweet. If you let me out of here, maybe I’ll toss you a nice bone. Or, if you _don’t_ let me out, I’ll do my best to kill this idiot girl.” There’s a pause as Nicole looks away, and the demon adds, “You’ll pick one eventually. I have all the time in the world, and you’re a pathetic lap dog. Coming when you’re called. Watching for danger. Staying out of the way. Just look at you.”

“I do what I need to do to protect the people I care about,” Nicole grits out.

“You can keep telling yourself that. But I know what you are deep under that skin and that shiny badge. You can’t fool _me_.” The demon leans against the bars of the cell, and Nicole briefly gets a flash of expression, of how it’s contorting Waverly’s face. “Even if you have managed to completely fool _yourself_.”

“What are you talking about?” Nicole can’t help but ask, a prickling feeling running up the back of her neck.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry, little pup.” The demon settles itself back, leaning against the bars further away from Nicole. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon enough.”


	2. save my soul

_ DECEMBER 22 _

 

She’s never told how they do it, but after a few hours of trying to ignore the demon mocking her with Waverly’s voice, Nicole looks up to the sound of Wynonna and Doc reentering the building with Dolls.

“Is everything okay in here?” Wynonna asks warily.

“It won’t shut up,” Nicole mutters, pacing back and forth and refusing to look at the cell. “It’s using her voice, it won’t give her back, and it won’t _shut up_.”

Wynonna catches her shoulder and grips it tightly. “We’re going to fix it. Whether it likes it or not.”

Nicole nods and shifts her gaze to Dolls. Briefly, her vision shifts again in the way it had when she had looked in her mirror the night before, and she sees Dolls with yellow eyes, his skin faintly crackling like scales. Then she blinks, and it’s gone.

“You still alive, Haught? Are we doing this or not?”

She shakes her head to clear it and meets Wynonna’s gaze. “What?”

“Weren’t you listening to the plan?”

“Er…”

Wynonna’s eyes are dark and angry, betraying her worry far more than her tone does as she says, “Get your head out of your ass, Officer. Let’s go.”

 

+++

 

Dolls finds a black leather book that he says will solve their demonic problem (“this is why we rescued you,” Wynonna says, and Nicole’s pretty sure it’s the first time she’s ever seen the man smile).

She doesn’t remember much of what happens next. She’s surrounded by candles. She can’t feel the heat of them. Doesn’t even feel it when she gets so close to one that her hair catches on fire and she has to pat it out before the ritual is interrupted. When Dolls finishes the incantations, Nicole suddenly finds herself being tossed back into a wall for the second time in as many days.

When she opens her eyes, dazed, Wynonna is fussing over a stirring Waverly.

Dolls is standing over Nicole, his own eyes narrowed.

“Strange,” he says, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. “That wasn’t supposed to affect normal humans standing in the circle. That’s why I put you in there instead of anybody else.”

She can’t help herself from saying, “Why weren’t _you_ in there, then?”

There’s a long moment where he continues to study her, expression unreadable. “Go see her,” he finally says, turning to help Doc extinguish the candles.

As he walks away, Nicole gets another flicker of the scale to his skin. This time, Doc gets something as well– a faint pink aura, and somehow Nicole _knows_ \- she knew, but now she can _sense it_ –how old he really is.

And again, just as quickly, it’s gone.

When her head clears, she remembers why she’s there, why they’re all there, and she scrambles to her feet to go to Waverly. And stops a few feet away from where she’s lying on the table, still being tended to by her big sister.

“Nicole,” Waverly rasps, voice so close to a whisper that Nicole doesn’t know how she hears it. “I saw her here. Could see it. Through the fog.”

“You didn’t get rid of her that easily,” Wynonna replies, gently stroking her hand through Waverly’s hair. She shoots Nicole a snarky grin. “Unfortunately for me.”

Waverly lightly smacks her on the shoulder. “Be nice.”

“This is my version of nice, baby girl.” Wynonna leans down and kisses Waverly on the forehead, then steps back. “Go on then, Haught. Don’t make my sister wait.” She goes to head over to the boys, pausing on her way past Nicole to whisper, “Don’t let _her_ wait, either.”

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

Nicole stops next to Waverly, relieved to be able to see her face again, gently taking her hand and holding it between her fingers. “Hi, baby,” she whispers. “It’s good to see you again.”

Waverly’s eyes are fuzzy, like she’s exhausted, and her voice is still crackling, and there’s soot on her face (was that there before? Nicole has no idea; she only remembers the demon), and her hair is a mess. But when she raises her free hand and rests it against Nicole’s cheek and brushes her thumb across it gently, Nicole is sure that the woman in front of her has never looked more beautiful.

“Come on,” Nicole says softly. “We should get out of here.”

For some reason, Waverly balks. “I-I’m sorry,” she croaks. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if I did anything. To you, or Wynonna, or Doc, or Dolls, or anybody else. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for… I didn’t want anybody to get hurt just for _knowing me_ , and…”

Nicole suddenly gets Wynonna’s parting words. She leans down and quiets Waverly with a gentle kiss that tastes like soot. “It wasn’t your fault, baby. Now come on. Let’s get you home.”

 

+++

 

_ DECEMBER 24 _

 

“You’re taking this too well,” Nicole murmurs, walking next to Waverly through the center of Purgatory, staying just far enough away from her to be seen as friendly and nothing more.

“I’m fine,” Waverly says, her eyes going hard. “I’ve told you.”

“You told me that the day after, yeah. Yesterday you were in tears. You can’t keep just saying that everything is okay to everyone but me, Waverly.”

It’s as if it’s something Waverly has been waiting for, because she immediately rounds on her heel and comes to a stop, putting her hands on her hips and snarling, “If you can’t handle it, maybe it’s better for you to just not be involved at all.”

Nicole blinks, baffled, but before Waverly can turn away again she reaches out and grabs her by the shoulders. Ignoring the squints from the little old ladies in the Laundromat next to her, Nicole pulls Waverly closer to her and says, “I’m not going anywhere. I think you should tell Wynonna what’s going on so that you can both actually _deal with this_. But _I’m not going anywhere_ , Waverly.”

“Why?” Waverly whispers, her anger suddenly gone. “Why won’t you just leave? Go somewhere safe? From me and my whole screwed up life?”

“You were possessed, Waves. Was it weird? Absolutely. Is it still an adjustment to know everything that’s going on in this town? Yes. But is that going to stop me from caring about you as much as I do? _No._ ”

“Got shot, too,” Waverly says softly.

Nicole leans back, gently rubbing her ribs. “Yeah. That wasn’t your fault, either.”

“My sister. Getting payback on _me_.”

“You didn’t pull the trigger, Waverly. Don’t feel the weight of it.”

Waverly studies her for a lengthy moment, reaching up to adjust the collar of her flannel shirt sticking out of her jacket. “I’m pretty sure I don’t deserve you,” she murmurs.

Nicole gives a sharp laugh. “Trust me, Waverly. You deserve far more than anyone could ever possibly give. I’m just doing whatever I can to keep up.”

 

+++

 

_ DECEMBER 25 _

 

She spends Christmas pretending that Christmas doesn’t exist, sitting on the floor in the Earp Homestead letting Waverly lie in her lap and describe pure horror while Wynonna and Doc and Dolls chase down demons.

She isn’t sure when this became her life, but when she brushes her thumb across Waverly’s jaw to comfort her when she shivers, and she watches a smile creep onto Waverly’s face for the first time since being freed, she finds that she’s quite happy with it.

If only she knew why, when she glanced up and caught her reflection in a piece of metal, the shadowed eyes and fiery irises and sunken cheeks stared back at her.

 

+++

 

_ DECEMBER 28 _

 

She’s picking up cat food the first time she realizes it.

She can still _see things_.

Even beyond that haunting shadow in her own reflection, or the occasional blinks around her friends– Wynonna had joined the party with a pale amber aura and an essence of strength Nicole couldn’t quite describe –she can see _things._

That’s really the only way she knows how to explain it.

The town drunk she’s driven home in the back of her cruiser more times than she can count suddenly has a white glow around him and pale gray eyes. The shop clerk at the grocery store has sharpened teeth. One of the bank tellers has the red and black burn that she spotted once on a Revenant Wynonna was in the process of killing.

Right then, Nicole Haught knows that she’s lost her mind.

Maybe she wasn’t as ready for the truth as she thought.

 

+++

 

_ DECEMBER 29 _

 

It’s two in the morning and she’s trying to drink away the visions with whiskey she confiscated from Wynonna so long ago it feels like another lifetime, yet… it was barely any time at all.

She almost died then, too. _Did_ die then. Frozen in a ditch on the side of the road, broken ribs, bleeding, fading into the darkness with Waverly’s smile the only thing her brain had left to hold on to.

Then a bullet to her vest, slamming hard enough into the wall, _somehow_ , to give herself a mild concussion, broken ribs again, dazed and confused and almost dying again, this time with the last thing in her brain the look on Waverly’s face when she realized it was already too late the moment Nicole walked through the door.

And now _this_. She can handle pain. She can handle bruises and breaks and freezing cold and gunshots.

She can’t handle losing her goddamn mind.

At some point in the middle of her half-drunken, all-miserable internal ramblings, she realizes that, in her focus on Waverly’s recovery, she completely forgot about the singed piece of her hair.

She tries to cut it off, but then it’s uneven, so she tries to even it out, but she’s upset and tipsy, so that doesn’t work, so she tries to even out the _other_ side _again_ , and by the time she just gives up and collapses facedown on the couch with a whine, her hair is long enough to be fixed (thankfully not too drunk for _that_ ) but far too short to be pulled up anymore.

All in all, she considers, as she starts to drift off to sleep, probably _not_ a very successful night.

 

+++

 

She regains consciousness slowly to prodding at her shoulder and a voice she doesn’t quite recognize but likes anyway saying, “Nicole, are you _okay_?”

By the time she surfaces she’s realized that, shit, Waverly is standing in her apartment and, to make matters worse, she drunkenly passed out on her couch the night before, _and_ , to make it _even better_ , she hacked at her hair like a five year old.

When Waverly’s face comes into focus, she’s clearly trying not to laugh. “Uhm. Baby. Rough night?”

“I kept seein’ things and I couldn’t put up with it anymore and I tried to drown it all an’ didn’ work,” Nicole mumbles.

“Were these things perhaps drinks? Of alcohol, just to make myself clear.”

Nicole whines and tries to hide her head under a pillow. “How did you even get in?”

“Door was unlocked. You’re a shitty cop.” Laughing softly, Waverly sits down on the couch next to her, tossing the pillow aside so that she can gently stroke her fingers through Nicole’s hair. “What were you even trying to do?”

“Trying to get rid of the burn mark.”

“I noticed that, but I didn’t want to say anything. How did you manage that?”

Nicole stiffens. “Uh. Candle.”

“What were you doing playing with a ca- oh.” Waverly’s face falls as the dots connect in her head. _“Oh.”_

“Yeah.”

They sit silent for a long moment, then Waverly leans down and presses a kiss to Nicole’s cheek. “Why don’t we get that mess fixed, honey?”

Nicole snorts. “What, are you going to cut it for me?”

“No, idiot, that’s what hair salons are for.” Grinning, Waverly starts to pull Nicole to her feet. “Though maybe you should shower the general aura of _drunk_ off of yourself first.”

“Probably for the best.”

“Don’t worry, officer,” Waverly says casually, watching Nicole head off to her bedroom. “You still look hot.”

 

+++

 

“Oh, you poor dear, what happened?”

Nicole grits her teeth and closes her eyes briefly. “Nothing really. Not a big deal. Can we just fix it?”

“Absolutely, dear. Just sit right down.” The middle-aged woman who owns the only salon in town shoves Nicole into a chair and pats her shoulder sympathetically. “Bad breakup?”

“Uh… what?”

“Most of the time, when women your age hack at their hair like that, it’s because they got frustrated and needed a change after their boyfriend dumped them,” the woman says sagely. “Is that what happened to you, sweetheart?”

Nicole glances into the mirror and sees Waverly sitting in a chair in the corner, attempting to hide her face behind a magazine and clearly laughing her ass off.

They’ve apparently found the one place in Purgatory that hasn’t found out about what happened at the party yet.

Or, Waverly knew that this would happen.

“Oh, you know how it is,” Nicole says gravely. “People drag you places you don’t want to go. They take your jewelry. They ramble to you about history books you don’t understand. Don’t get me wrong! I’m glad they read. But sometimes it gets confusing, y’know?”

She hazards a glance in the mirror and sees that Waverly has lowered the magazine and is just _staring_ at her.

As she grins and continues to play along with the hairdresser, Nicole almost doesn’t notice that her reflection is still shadowed.

 

+++

 

“So history is _confusing_ , huh?” Waverly asks, her arms folded grumpily.

“It’s interesting when you talk about it, though,” Nicole says with a smirk.

“You’re an ass.”

“How could I not play along with _that_?”

“Mm. True.” Waverly ducks herself under Nicole’s arm and presses against her side. “So I’m just some rebound from your boyfriend, huh?”

Nicole laughs and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Best rebound in history.” After a pause, she realizes what she’s doing, and hastily steps back, putting a distance between her and Waverly again.

Waverly squints at her. “What are you doing?”

“I… We’ve been trying to… Or at least I thought…” Nicole shoves her hands into her pockets and shrugs her shoulders. “I thought the rule was still in place. When we’re in public. Pretend not to be together.”

Gaze soft, Waverly reaches her hand up and playfully ruffles Nicole’s new shorter hair. “Nicole. First of all, I think I threw that out the window when I kissed you in public, poison zombies or no poison zombies. Second of all… you’re my _girlfriend_. I do actually want to be seen with you.”

Nicole swallows, almost doesn’t ask, but can’t help it. “So I… I _am_ your girlfriend.”

“Of course you… Oh, hell,” Waverly whispers. “The last thing I said to you on the subject was ‘kind of’, wasn’t it.”

“Mhm,” Nicole mumbles uncomfortably.

Waverly cups her face in her hands and pulls her down to kiss her. “Nicole Haught. You are, in fact, my girlfriend. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it before.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Okay, not saying something of my own volition is, _technically_ , my fault. But I understand what you’re saying. And thank you.” Waverly presses against Nicole’s side again and pushes her to continue walking. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. Pretty great right now, actually.”

“Cute.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure. You just feel really warm right now. Like you’re giving off heat or something.”

Nicole’s jaw tightens, but she tries to keep her voice even as she says, “I don’t know anything about it.”

 

+++

 

_ DECEMBER 30 _

 

She meets Dolls in the Black Badge office when no one else is around to interrupt them.

“Officer Haught,” he says politely, leaning against the desk. “What can I help you with?”

“Something’s…” She pauses, struggling with trying to figure out what to say, how to say it, how to not sound crazy. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I _don’t know_ ,” she repeats, frustration quickly seeping into her voice.

Dolls holds up a hand, his voice still remarkably calm. “Nicole. Just explain. Slowly.”

“I’ve been seeing things,” Nicole whispers. “Like when Waverly was possessed, I could see the _demon_. Not her. And… other places around town.”

She goes through it all: what she sees in the mirror, what she saw in Waverly, what she’s seen around town. The strange change in her body heat. Even other, seemingly unrelated things she had noticed over the past week- an upgrade in her hearing and vision, how she barely felt if things were hot anymore, how her cat had stopped being willing to sleep at the foot of her bed. Things that were just… _off_.

“I know it probably sounds like I’m overreacting,” Nicole says quietly. “Like I’m just stressed, or my brain is trying to compensate for knowing what I know now about Purgatory. But I… it just doesn’t feel like that.”

Dolls just stares at her silently for what feels like hours, his expression so grim that she’s either dying or he’s just found out that there’s no more milk in his fridge at home.

“I’m going to try something,” he says finally, his voice soft. “Okay?”

“Sure,” Nicole agrees, a bit too quickly.

“Give me one of your hands.”

Nicole holds out her hand, and Dolls takes it by the wrist. Then pulls a lighter out of his pocket, flicks it on and presses the flame directly against her palm.

“What the _fuck_ -” she starts, but doesn’t finish because at that moment she realizes that she _doesn’t feel it_.

Not only does she not feel it, but it isn’t burning her skin at all.

“How?” Nicole whispers, staring at the flame dancing against her hand.

Dolls sighs and releases her, flicking the lighter closed and storing it back in his pocket. “I was afraid of that. Your skin is immune to fire.”

“Hold on, you _didn’t know that would work_?”

He ignores her, pacing for a moment to think before stopping and leaning against one of the chair. “Based on what you’ve described, Officer Haught, there’s really only one explanation. I can’t tell you why. I can’t tell you how. But it’s the only thing that fits.”

Nicole gives a short, dry, humorless laugh. “You say that like I _am_ something.”

Dolls’s expression doesn’t change. “You are, Nicole.”

He sits down, sighs, and slowly looks up at her. “You’re a hellhound.”


	3. not what i had in mind

_ DECEMBER 30 _

_You’re a hellhound._

Nicole just stares at him, convinced that he, if he’s even capable of such a thing, is kidding.

When he doesn’t say anything else, she realizes that he’s not.

“How… How could I possibly be a _hellhound_?” she asks, baffled. “What even _is_ a hellhound? Okay, so I know the basic concept, supernatural dog, symbol of death, that sort of thing, but what does that have to do with _me_?”

“I’ve encountered hellhounds before,” Dolls says, his voice still quiet. “There are two types. One is the shapeshifter. The true hound of hell, an eternal creature that can masquerade as human to infiltrate our world to fulfill its task. They’re incredibly fast, and they’re very fond of ripping other supernatural beings apart as they drag them back to hell.”

Nicole swallows and grips the back of a nearby chair. “Uhm,” she rasps, voice hoarse. “I-I… I really don’t think I’m _that_.”

The faintest smile flickers onto Dolls’s face. “I don’t think you _are_ , Nicole. I think you’re type two.”

“Which is?”

“The hound’s soul.” Dolls leans back in his chair and pauses for a moment. “Normal humans. Most of whom were even _born_ completely human. But somewhere along the way– and I can’t say for sure what it was for you –they were bonded to a hellhound’s soul. Aspects are different. There’s no shapeshifting. There’s no extra speed. There’s not much of that bloodlust. But other traits of the hounds are accessible. The immunity to fire. The advanced hearing and sight. It would probably take an extra punch or two to knock you down in a fight. And then there’s the ability to see other supernatural beings, whether they’re hidden or not.”

“You mean how I saw the demon instead of Waverly.”

“Exactly. Hellhounds are guardians of the world of the dead. Protectors of the supernatural. Hunters of lost souls. They _need_ to be able to see their charges. That’s why you can see Revenants for what they really are. That’s why you saw the demon in Waverly. That’s why you’ve been seeing things throughout town. That’s why you can see the faint echoes of the hound in your own reflection. _You_ might not actually, physically be one, but you can see your own soul in the mirror.” His voice takes on a sympathetic note as he adds, “Police officers make good hellhounds, especially in towns like Purgatory. You already want to protect. The instincts will only help you.”

Nicole nods, but she’s barely hearing him, staring down at the table blankly. “W-Why… How did I… _Why?_ ”

“I don’t know,” Dolls murmurs. “I wish I did. But I don’t know. It’ll be okay though, Haught. We’ll figure it out. You’ll figure it out.”

There’s a long pause as Nicole slowly processes all of it. Then, quietly, she says, “Is that why… when I look at _you_ …”

Realization prickles into his eyes, as if it’s only just occurring to him. “It’s a long story,” he says.

“I’m a fan of long stories, if you ever want to tell it.” Once he nods, she leans forward and rests her head on the back of the chair. “What am I going to say to Waverly?” she whispers. “About… About what I am?”

Dolls glances at his phone and stands, but pauses on his way out to briefly grip her shoulder. “You’re the only one who can figure _that_ out. But I’m pretty sure you’ll know when it’s time.”

He walks out of the room, leaving Nicole alone with her thoughts and without any reflective surfaces from which the hound can watch her shake.

 

+++

 

_ DECEMBER 31 _

 

She almost tells Waverly, but can’t.

They’re at the Homestead, waiting for Wynonna to bring home alcohol (“How is there no alcohol in this place?” “You drank it already, Wynonna.” “Dammit.”), Waverly leaning against Nicole and resting her head on her shoulder.

“I wanted to go with Doc and Wynonna to look for that Revenant today,” Waverly whispers, idly playing with the sleeve of Nicole’s sweater, “but Wynonna wouldn’t let me. Said it was too dangerous. I think what she wanted to say was that I wasn’t ready.”

“She’s just looking out for you,” Nicole murmurs. “Did you… Did you ever tell her?”

“That I’m still struggling with the weight of being used as a puppet by a demon? Yeah. I think that’s why she’s being overprotective.”

Nicole presses a kiss to her hair. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs.

Waverly sighs and leans more heavily against her. “It’s not your fault. I suppose there has to be at least one naively normal person in the group, right?”

“… Right.”

“I hope this new year is less stressful,” Waverly jokes weakly.

Nicole chuckles and kisses her again, hiding the anxiety in her eyes. “In this group? I don’t think so.”

 

+++

 

_ JANUARY 10 _

 

Nicole is woken just after eleven-thirty.

She shuffles to the door, confusion clouding her brain, and when she squints through the peephole the bewilderment only gets stronger.

As she opens the door, she says, “Waves?”

Waverly is standing in front of her apartment, in pajamas and a fluffy jacket, a sheepish expression on her face.

“Hi,” she says softly. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late. But. Could I come in?”

“Absolutely,” Nicole says quickly, stepping away and letting her inside. “Is everything okay?”

“No.”

Nicole pauses just long enough to lock the door again, then turns and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t take it anymore,” Waverly says, starting to pace even as she takes off her jacket and tosses it onto the closest chair. “I can’t take the _kid gloves_. All three of them. Wynonna. Dolls. Doc. They’re acting like I’m _fragile_. I was hurt, I get it, but all they’re doing is _reminding me of what happened_ , and I can’t put up with it anymore. It’s making it all _worse_.”

“Baby,” Nicole whispers, catching Waverly’s shoulders to still her. “They’re just worried.”

“I know that,” Waverly replies, her eyes raging. “But their _worry_ is _useless to me_.”

Nicole pulls Waverly into a hug and gently rubs her back. “I get it. Okay? What do you want me to do?”

“You’re the only one who’s still treating me like _me_ ,” Waverly whispers, hugging her back tightly. “Just… don’t stop? Please?”

“Never, Waverly Earp.”

There’s a long pause as they just stand there, Nicole holding her as she shivers and tries not to cry. Then, softly, Waverly whispers something that Nicole almost doesn’t hear at first. (Probably _wouldn’t_ have heard if…)

“Can we sleep together tonight?”

Nicole just freezes, even more confused than she already was. Then Waverly gently pushes out of the hug, a faint blush on her face. “I did not mean that to come out the way it came out.”

“I was kind of figuring.”

“I just… I can’t sleep, I can’t get my head to shut up, I can’t _stop_. I _need you_ , Nicole.”

The words break her instantly, and she says, “You can have me.” Then she hesitates and bows her head. “But I…”

Nicole sits down on the arm of the couch. “There’s something you need to know. It’s a bad time for it. I know. But I’m not convinced you’ll want anything to do with me when you know, and I can’t… I can’t keep…”

Waverly’s brow furrows with worry as she sits on the chair across from her. “Nicole? What is it?”

“… I’m a…” Nicole clears her throat. “I’m a hellhound.”

 

+++

 

She walks through it all. Everything she’s seen. Everything Dolls said. Everything she’s wanted to say to Waverly but couldn’t at the last minute. The whole time, Waverly is just watching her with an unreadable expression on her face.

“A-And that’s all of it,” Nicole finishes. “So. Uhm. If you don’t want anything to do with me, I’ll understand, but I can’t let you-”

She’s cut off when Waverly suddenly gets up, crosses the small gap between them, and kisses her hard on the mouth.

“Nicole,” Waverly whispers. “Let’s go to bed.”

“You’re not… upset?”

“I want to know more about this. I want to look into it. But you’re still _you_. And I’m still me. And that’s what matters. Right now, all I want is to finally get some sleep because I’m in the arms of somebody who actually listens to me. Can you still do that if you’re a hellhound?”

“Uh. Y-Yes.”

Waverly smiles softly and cups her face in her hands. “Then come on, Officer Haught. It’s time to get some _sleep_.”

 

+++

 

_ JANUARY 11 _

 

Nicole wakes up at five in the morning and isn’t sure that the night before actually happened until she becomes fully aware of her arms casually wrapped around Waverly’s abdomen.

She extracts herself cautiously and sits up, checking her phone for messages.

God help her, she actually hears the change in Waverly’s heartbeat the moment she wakes up.

“What are you doing up so early?” Waverly mumbles.

“I go back to work today,” Nicole replies. She leans down and presses a kiss to Waverly’s forehead. “Trust me. I’d rather stay here.”

“Shit,” Waverly mutters. “I forgot. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come over.”

“I’m glad you did.” Nicole pulls the sheets up a bit higher over Waverly. “You don’t have to go. There’s a spare key in the Colorado Rockies mug above the sink. Feel free to leave whenever you need to. I’ll get ready as quietly as I can.”

“You’re too good to me, Officer,” Waverly whispers, still a bit groggy from sleep.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Go before you’re late to work and they put you in the pound.”

Nicole laughs, loudly, more genuinely than she had in weeks. “That’s how it’s going to be from now on?”

Waverly opens on eye to squint up at her. “Just wait until Wynonna finds out, baby. You’ll want to change your name and move to a new country.”

“Would you come with me?” Nicole asks, only half-joking.

“Probably. She’ll mock _me_ , too.”

“Good. You deserve it.” Nicole leans down and kisses Waverly quickly before heading towards the bathroom to shower.

And wonders when the bubble of need and illusion will break, and Waverly will see her for what she really is.

The shadows and fire staring back at her from the bathroom mirror only serve to remind her of the inevitable.


	4. your time will come if you wait for it

_ JANUARY 11 _

 

Her first day back on the job is… interesting.

It starts with the realization that every single cop– including one of the dispatchers, Ruthie, who _was_ a Purgatory cop before retiring –has fainter versions of the sunken cheeks and shadowed eyes, just like she does. None of them has the flame in their eyes. But Nicole has started recognizing the patterns of what she sees. And the _only_ thing that has _ever_ looked like _this_ …

Is _her_.

Nicole pushes it aside for later, grits her teeth, and puts her hat on her head, back where it belongs.

Problems.

Too many of them.

Maybe if she’s lucky, she can get through the day without being overwhelmed by them.

 

+++

 

She’s back at the station during her break, and she barely gets through the door when she’s half-tackled into the Black Badge office by Waverly.

“Waves, what-”

She shuts the door and says, “So, I’ve been looking into it, and I can’t find anything on hellhounds, but I was thinking, maybe it has something to do with the curse– I mean, come on, demons from hell, hounds from hell, seems logical enough –so I went back through everything that I’ve looked at for my research on the Earp curse and found this rumor about _another_ curse that was connected to the one that made Wynonna what she is but was placed separately.”

Nicole just stares at her.

“Right. Sorry. Too fast.”

“Yeah, a little.”

Waverly smiles sheepishly and sits down, patting the table for Nicole to join her. “The point. Is that I think _another_ curse was placed, but I don’t know what it would’ve entailed. I was thinking… Doc might know.”

Nicole groans and rests her head down on the table. “Well. I guess Doc and Wynonna were going to find out eventually.”

Waverly pats her on the shoulder, trying to hide a smile. “You’ll be fine. Probably.”

 

+++

 

“A hellhound.”

“Yes.”

“A fucking _hellhound_.”

“Yes.”

Wynonna stares at Nicole, her gaze feeling like a few days of desert sunlight bearing down. “I don’t think I would’ve ever expected that from you, Haughtdog.”

Nicole chokes back a groan and shoots an irritated look at Waverly, who’s standing next to her chuckling.

‘Yeah, well, I didn’t really anticipate it either.”

“We thought,” Waverly says, gently resting her hand on the back of Nicole’s neck, “that Doc might know something about some second curse placed on Purgatory. Other than the Earp curse.”

Doc is studying Nicole through narrowed eyes, and it takes him a second to register that Waverly is speaking to him. “Hm? Oh. Yes, well. I had always reckoned that rumor was false. Now I can’t say that I’m too sure about that assumption.”

“Why’s that?”

His gaze goes directly to meet Waverly’s. “Why, because it dealt directly with the matter of _hellhounds_.”

Nicole looks up at him quickly. “What? What was it?”

“Further punishment. The witch’s husband had a flair for the dramatic. He didn’t only curse the Earps. He cursed the entirety of law enforcement in Purgatory.” Doc points at Nicole’s badge on her hat, resting on the table. “The minute you accepted that, the moment you swore yourself to this sheriff’s department, you got cursed just like the rest of us, Officer Haught.” He sighs and leans back against the file cabinet, taking off his own hat. “I never believed the rumor. I’d never seen any evidence of hellhounds, especially once I woke up here. And the whole reasoning for it was ridiculous, the half-joking, petty excuse of having something that could properly corral the Revenants whenever an Earp wasn’t active.”

“There are plenty of cops. _Have been_ plenty of cops,” Wynonna says. “Why is Nicole the only one showing any symptoms?”

“You said that you first noticed this when Waverly was po…ssessed… oh, shit.” Wynonna pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. “Oh, _shit_.”

“What?”

It clicks to Waverly almost immediately afterwards. “You found out about the Earp curse. The full details of it. And then this. What if it… like, I don’t know, ‘activated’ you or something?” She bites her lip. “But then wouldn’t Uncle Curtis have been one, too?”

“Unless it doesn’t work if you know about the curse _before_ becoming a cop,” Wynonna mutters.

“At the end of the day,” Nicole says softly, “I’m not sure the _how_ matters. Just what I’ll do.”

Waverly leans down and presses a gentle kiss to her cheek. “I told you already,” she whispers. “Nothing changes, Nic. I _promise_.”

 

+++

 

It’s ten at night and Nicole’s cellphone rings.

“Hello?”

_“Hey.”_

“Wave? What’s up?”

Waverly’s voice is hesitant, a bit nervous, as if she’s embarrassed by what she’s asking as she says, _“I, uh… I was wondering… if you’d come over.”_

“Of course,” Nicole replies, already pulling a jacket off of her coat rack. “But, why?”

There’s a soft laugh in her ear just before Waverly says, _“I… can’t sleep.”_

Nicole pauses, her grip on her phone tightening. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, Waverly.”

 

+++

 

Nicole arrives at the Homestead within twenty minutes and is snuck in the back door by Waverly as if they’re teenagers trying to stay out of trouble.

“We still keep Willa’s room locked,” Waverly whispers, “but we moved my stuff up to the other bedroom upstairs. I was tired of being down here. Plus, I don’t want to risk Wynonna banging one of the guys on my bed. It’s happened before. It probably happened _recently_. I really don’t want to think about it.”

Nicole gives a soft laugh and follows her up the steps. “That’s probably for the best.”

 

+++

 

_ JANUARY 12 _

 

The door to Waverly’s bedroom all but slams open at two in the morning, when Wynonna apparently realizes that there’s a police car parked out in front of the house.

“Haughthound, if you’re-” she begins, but she breaks off as Nicole holds up a hand to shush her and she realizes that Nicole and Waverly are both fully clothed.

“Wave just fell asleep, Wynonna, Christ,” Nicole whispers, gently running her fingers over the hair of the woman snuggled against her.

Wynonna just hesitates, watching her sister sleep in silence for a long moment. Then she gives the smallest of nods, turns and shuts the door behind her as she leaves.

 

+++

 

_ JANUARY 21 _

 

Nicole waits at the scene of a single-car accident, wandering in a circle around the wreckage as snow gently falls around her.

She doesn’t get cold anymore. She realized it slowly, and now it’s… actually rather useful.

She can stand out here, in the snow, waiting for the tow truck, and she doesn’t even feel the icy breeze brushing around her.

Waverly has also noted an appreciation for it. The perpetual heat that Nicole’s body gives off now. They’ve slept in the same bed every night since Waverly first asked, and most nights Waverly mumbles to her that having her own personal heater is the best benefit of dating her.

(She once made the mistake of mentioning it in front of Wynonna.)

(“You mean the best benefit isn’t the fact that when you guys have sex you can literally do it dogg-” “Wynonna.” “But, serious question, isn’t it technically beastia-” _“WYNONNA!”_ )

(Apparently, Wynonna has it in her head that they’ve done far more in bed than they actually have. Nicole would find it funny if it didn’t scare the hell out of her.)

As she’s lost in thought, in the back of her mind she registers the sound of a truck pulling up, a door opening and then slamming shut.

“I’m guessing this is the tow, Officer?” a gruff voice asks from behind her.

She turns to face the driver and doubles over in pain, her vision overwhelmed by an intense white light.

“Uhm,” she rasps, trying to blink sense back into her head as she faces the ground. “Sorry. Just a second.”

The tow truck driver heads past her, roughly patting her on the shoulder as he carries the tow cable to the disabled car. “You idiot hellhound pups,” he mutters. “You’re always hurting yourselves.”

“Excuse me?” Nicole asks, trying not to look up at the man, still squinting just to see the ground.

“All of you! You look directly at things without any understanding at all of what you might see!” As the driver crosses back to his truck, he smacks Nicole in the back of the head. “Don’t just put your entire vision on someone until you know whether you’re going to be blinded by something your dumb human brain can’t handle.”

“I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to do that.”

“You slow down for five damn seconds. _Honestly_.”

Nicole blinks, and the man is suddenly visible through the light. “How did I…”

“ _I_ turned my power down a bit so I didn’t put you in the hospital. You’re too young to figure out how to filter your vision so that you don’t need to stare at a demon constantly once you’ve seen it.”

It’s then that it clicks in. “Hold on, how do you know what I am?”

The driver shakes his head and opens the door to his truck. “Pups,” he scoffs.

He gets into his truck, closes the door, and drives off, taking the wrecked car with him.

Nicole watches him go, standing in the snow, confusion fluttering around in her head.

_Don’t just put your entire vision on someone…_

She’s not sure why the thought never occurred to her before.

 

+++

 

_ JANUARY 26 _

 

Nicole lies in bed, arms wrapped around Waverly’s abdomen, her forehead lightly resting on Waverly’s hair.

And Waverly won’t still.

“Babe,” Nicole mutters, her breath lightly hitting the back of Waverly’s neck. “What is wrong.”

Waverly’s only response is to fidget even more.

Nicole shifts back a bit, giving her some space, bewildered.

It happens so fast it takes her breath away.

Waverly rolls over, grabs her face between her hands, and kisses her, hard.

“Wave, what are you doing?” Nicole manages, right before Waverly kisses her again, all tongue and teeth and desperation.

She finally pulls back and gasps, “I can’t take it anymore. I can’t take _you_ anymore.”

“Uh…”

“Please, Nicole,” Waverly whispers, stroking her thumb against Nicole’s cheek. “I need you. I _want_ you. I can’t stand not having you anymore.”

The implication finally breaks through Nicole’s tired brain and wakes her up like an adrenaline high.

“Waverly, I… are you _sure_?”

“Jesus,” Waverly rasps. _“Yes.”_

Nicole grins and pushes forward, kissing Waverly and gently pinning her on her back, laughing breathlessly when she hears Waverly giggle.

“Oh, but,” Waverly interrupts, still laughing as she rests a finger over Nicole’s mouth. “Behave, or I’m getting you a shock collar, puppy.”

“Christ. I hate you.”

“No; you don’t.”

Nicole leans down and kisses her slowly. “No,” she whispers. “I don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to @go_sullivan for seeing the Haughtdog joke coming.


	5. searching to find myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if this chapter posts three times it's because AO3 was being an ass

_ JANUARY 27 _

 

When Nicole wakes up in the morning, she’s convinced that Waverly won’t still be in bed with her.

She rolls over, expecting empty mattress, and instead smacks directly into another body.

“Mmf,” Waverly mumbles into the pillow. “The hell, Nic.”

“Sorry,” Nicole whispers, trying to shove aside the genuine shock that runs through her body. “I-I… forgot?”

Waverly turns slightly and squints up at her with one eye, a faint smirk on her face. “Should I be insulted?”

“Oh, god, no, I didn’t, uhm, that’s not what I-”

“Nicole,” Waverly laughs, reaching up and gently stroking Nicole’s cheek. “I know what you meant, okay? Relax. You sound like _me_.”

“Great. Just what I need.” Nicole leans down and kisses Waverly softly on the forehead. “Should we get up?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

Waverly pulls Nicole towards her and kisses her quickly. “Because I want you here just a bit longer.”

 

+++

 

Nicole sits in the Black Badge office, zoning out as Dolls talks about a suspicious murder case on the other side of town.

She regains her senses when she hears her name.

“Why don’t we just bring Nicole?”

Wynonna is looking at her, voice slightly muffled by the donut she’s eating.

“I’m not sure Nedley will appreciate us dragging one of his officers all over the place, Earp,” Dolls replies with a frown.

“Okay, but she can help us find the Revenant among all of those annoying apartment dwellers.” Wynonna finishes off her donut and shrugs. “She can see them, can’t she?”

Dolls raises and eyebrow a Nicole.

“Uh… Well, yeah, I can.”

“Awesome. You’re coming along, Haughtdog.”

“Can I come, too?” Waverly asks immediately, standing behind Nicole’s chair and lightly playing with her hair.

Wynonna stares at her for a long moment. “Er, no, Waves, why don’t you stay here and see if you can… find anything out about that area.”

Nicole feels Waverly tense, but her voice is even as she says, “Sure, Wynonna. Whatever you want.”

They get up to leave, and Nicole kisses Waverly on the cheek. “It’ll be okay,” she whispers into Waverly’s ear.

“It’ll be okay when I’m not seen as a burden,” Waverly replies just as softly, her eyes dark.

Before Nicole can respond, Waverly kisses her and leaves the room.

 

+++

 

_ JANUARY 29 _

 

“You know, Nicole, you’re _incredibly_ useful,” Wynonna says as she, Waverly, and Nicole sit around a table at Shorty’s.

“Why, because you have to do literally no detective work if I point at somebody and go ‘yes, demon’?” Nicole asks with a snort.

“Revenant,” Wynonna and Waverly correct simultaneously.

“Oh, shut up.”

Waverly reaches over and gently strokes Nicole’s cheek. “You need to catch up on the terms, babe.”

Nicole turns to pretend to try to bite Waverly’s hand and snickers as her girlfriend lets out a soft yelp.

“ _For example_ ,” Waverly says, putting her hand back long enough to lightly punch Nicole’s shoulder, “ _you_ are an _ass_.”

“I’m a hound, not a donkey,” Nicole replies with a smirk.

Waverly leans forward, grinning. “I’m pretty sure we’ve decided that you’re a _puppy_ , puppy.”

“There’s no proof of that.”

“It’s because you’re whipped.”

Nicole leans forward too, close enough that Waverly can barely see her grin. “I’m not sure I’d agree.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Wynonna finally mutters, causing them to back away from each other awkwardly. “You two _are_ banging.”

Waverly takes a slow drink. “Yeah, so?”

Nicole groans and puts her face in her hands. “Waverly.”

“She’s at your place pretty much every night, Haughtdog,” Wynonna says with a roll of her eyes. “C’mon. I’m not _that_ oblivious.”

Waverly and Nicole exchange a glance.

 

+++

 

_ FEBRUARY 5 _

 

“Hey, Haughtstuff, I have a present for you,” Wynonna says as she walks into the Black Badge office.

Nicole looks at her warily. “Do I want to know what this present is?”

Wynonna grins. “Of course you do. I’m a _great_ friend.”

“Okay, now I’m terrified.”

“Shut up.” Wynonna tosses a bulletproof vest at her.

Nicole holds it up, and sees that “K-9 UNIT” is stenciled across the front and back.

“Really.”

Wynonna snickers. “Welcome to the Black Badge Division, K-9 Officer Haught. You are, in fact, required to wear that every time you’re on a case with us.”

“Fabulous,” Nicole sighs.

“Also, just so you know, if you hurt my sister, I’ll shoot you somewhere that vest doesn’t protect.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “That has a little less weight after I literally _was_ shot by one of Waverly’s sisters.”

Wynonna pauses, studying her for a moment. “Fair point. I’ll just deck you, then.”

That gets a laugh out of Nicole, who tucks the vest under her arm. “If I hurt Waverly, I think I’d deserve that much.”

 

+++

 

_ FEBRUARY 13 _

 

_“Are you going to be around tomorrow?”_ Waverly asks through the phone pressed to Nicole’s ear.

“Yeah, I think so. I should be off.” Nicole smirks. “Why, is there something important going on?”

_“You’re the worst girlfriend in the world.”_

“Not accurate.”

_“I can pretend.”_ Waverly sighs softly. _“Can I come over later? I’ve… I’ve kind of gotten used to not being alone in bed.”_

“Do you want me to get you a dog?” Nicole teases.

_“Okay, Officer Smartass, if you’re really that desperate to be in the doghouse for the rest of the week…”_

“You can do whatever you want, Waverly Earp,” Nicole says quickly.

_“Good dog.”_

Nicole snorts and puts her key in her door. “You’re awful.”

_“Love you, too.”_

There’s a lengthy pause as Nicole freezes. “What?”

Waverly hesitates as well, the silence somehow awkward by itself. _“You’re awful, too.”_

“Right. Definitely.” Nicole swallows. “I’ll uh… I just got to my door. See you later?”

_“Absolutely.”_

Nicole shoves her phone back into her pocket, her mind whirling. She pushes her door open, and she gets halfway into the apartment before she notices the man standing in the middle of the room.

The man who she can _see_ is a Revenant.

“What-”

“You Black Badge assholes really think you can get in our way without some sort of _payback_?” the Revenant snarls. He walks towards her, one of her kitchen knives tight in his grip. “You’re _horribly_ mistaken.”


	6. it's not me you'll save

_ FEBRUARY 13 _

 

“Nic. Nicky. _Nicole!_ ”

There’s darkness, and it takes Nicole a few seconds of hands patting at her shoulders and Waverly’s voice calling her name before she can find the strength to open her eyes.

When Waverly’s face comes into focus, hovering just inches away with desperation plastered all over it, Nicole just rasps, “Is that the first time you’ve called me Nicky?”

Waverly laughs in the way one laughs when they’re moments away from crying. She leans down and presses a long, hard kiss to Nicole’s lips, which is how Nicole realizes that she has a split lip.

_“Ow.”_

“Sorry. Sorry. I-I… I thought you were dead.”

“Why would I be-” Nicole starts to sit up, and immediately realizes that she’s covered in blood. She almost panics, until pain from a potentially-broken nose filters through to her brain, and she realizes that most of it seems to have come from there.

And some of it isn’t red.

Nicole groans softly and rests back against the floor. “What the fuck happened?”

_“Get that thing away from me!”_

She cranes her neck, and sees Wynonna holding a Revenant on his knees on gunpoint. He was bleeding from several wounds on his torso and a slash across his throat.

“What-”

“Nicole, what in the hell did you do? Because this dickhead is utterly terrified of you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Nicole mumbles.

The Revenant shakes his head rapidly. “You took that knife from me like I was a child. And your eyes… Your eyes were fire… It made me feel more fear than I’ve ever felt before…”

“You deserved it, buddy,” Wynonna says, before pulling the trigger on Peacemaker and sending the Revenant into a flaming hole in the floor.

“Do you remember any of that?” Waverly asks as she helps Nicole up and rests her against the wall.

“Yeah. Bits. But I don't know if that’s something magic related or something related to the fact that I have a splitting headache.”

“I think he bashed your head into something,” Wynonna says, roughly pushing Nicole’s head to the side to get a look at the back of it. “You’re damn lucky, Haught.”

“Well, at least I learned that I can apparently turn the fire eyes on to scare the shit out of demons.”

Nicole’s cat hops up onto a table next to her, purring and pushing against her hand.

“Like me again, hm?” Nicole says, petting her head softly.

Waverly brushes her thumb against Nicole’s cheek gently. “We should get you cleaned up,” she whispers. “You don’t need this blood all over you all day.”

Nicole nods, exhaustion heavy through her muscles, and she lets Waverly tug her towards the bathroom.

“Haught,” Wynonna says suddenly, stopping them in their tracks.

“Yeah?”

“You’ve been sleeping with Waverly, right? Like, Wave has been staying here?”

“Wynonna,” Waverly says sharply, “is this really the time?”

“I’m just establishing the fact that the two of you already sleep in the same bed pretty much all the damn time.”

“ _Yes_ , okay? Why?”

Wynonna absentmindedly pet the cat as she brushed against her. “Because Nicole should move in to the Homestead.”

 

+++

 

They eat Chinese in Nicole’s apartment after they’ve gotten the blood off of the floor, and they haven’t talked about Wynonna’s declaration since it was made.

“I was serious, Nicole,” Wynonna says softly. “Revenants can’t go on our land. If they’re targeting you, for whatever reason, you aren’t safe here by yourself.”

“I’m fine, Wynonna. I don’t need to impose on you two.”

“You _aren’t_ fine,” Waverly says. “I was scared out of my mind today, Nicole. Please. Can you just… Can you do this?” Her voice lowers. “For me?”

Nicole stares at her for a long moment. “I didn’t… I didn’t know if you’d want me to… I mean, I’m not really…”

“Nicky,” Waverly says, a faint smile on her lips. She kisses Nicole on the forehead. “I want you. Okay? I want you _safe_. And if that means putting up with a few fleas, I think I can manage.”

“Wow,” Nicole says as Wynonna cackles so hard she falls off her chair. “That’s how it’s gonna be?”

“Mhm.”

None of them notice the faint flicker of light in Nicole’s eyes as she grins. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 

+++

 

_ FEBRUARY 14 _

 

Waverly is leaning against the counter of Nicole’s apartment when Nicole places her hands on either side of her and gently rests against her back.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole whispers, kissing her way slowly down Waverly’s neck.

“Mm. What for?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m being forcibly moved into your room.” Nicole ran her teeth along Waverly’s throat. “If I’m going to live with you, I would’ve sort of wanted to ask in a more proper way. And not like. Two and a half months into our relationship.” She rests her forehead against Waverly’s shoulder and sighs. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced into something you don’t want. Also, I feel like there are about seventeen gay jokes in this situation.”

Waverly laughs and shoves against her, turning around and kissing her. “You’re a dork.”

“Yeah. And?”

“A giant, dorky puppy, who also happens to look really hot in a police uniform. It’s not very fair.”

“My new resting temperature is about forty degrees, babe. I’m _always_ hot.”

Waverly gives a long, low groan and punches Nicole in the shoulder. “I no longer want you to move in with me.”

“But baby, I’m like your own personal space heater.” Nicole, giggling, grabs Waverly around her legs and tosses her over her shoulder. “You’ll never spend money on a blanket again.”

“Put me down, you big goof,” Waverly laughs as Nicole spins her around.

“Never. Not until you admit that you want me.”

“No. Screw you.”

“That’s already happened; it’s not a threat.”

They spin around the apartment, bickering, dodging around the cat, completely forgetting to pack boxes.

 

+++

 

“You’re sure about this?” Nicole asks that night, tucked into Waverly’s bed.

Waverly curls against her side and kisses her cheek. “Shut up and go to sleep, Nicole. You’re staying. That’s final.”

Nicole kisses the back of Waverly’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I’d do anything to make sure you’re safe.” Waverly looks at her for what feels like an eternity, her thumb gently stroking Nicole’s jaw. “I need you to be safe,” she whispers. “Because I… Because I love you, Nicole. I don’t know if it’s the right time to say it. I don’t know when the right time is. But I love you, Nicole Haught, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Nicole says in a soft voice, pressing a kiss to Waverly’s temple. “I promise you.” She pulls Waverly in towards her, hugging her close and tucking her head under her chin. “And just so you know?”

“Y-Yeah?”

Nicole tightens her grip just a bit, her voice barely audible. “I love you, too.”


	7. a young gun with a quick fuse

_ FEBRUARY 18 _

 

_“We have a 10-16 at 142 West Grimly Avenue.”_

Nicole keys her radio and responds, “10-4. I’ll head on over there, Ruthie.”

_“Backup’s on the way. Keep your head on, Nic.”_

“You got it.” Nicole turns her cruiser around and snorts softly. “That’s not that easy to do in this town.”

She drives through the outskirts until reaching a trailer home all on its own in the middle of the desert. Nothing around but dirt and sand and the cold winter sun.

Nothing to save her if things go bad, but…

There’s a rolling boil in her veins now, a constant underlying heat, and, somehow, it makes her bolder.

She’s supposed to wait for her backup, but the snarling in the back of her brain makes her ignore it. Nicole gets out of her car, one hand idly on her gun, and makes her way up to the front door of the trailer. She calls out, identifies herself, then cautiously knocks.

A woman opens the door, about a decade older than Nicole with straggly black hair, her face covered in blood and bruises.

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

“Y-Yes. I’m fine. I just… I-I tripped and fell.”

“Let me guess. Into a doorknob?” Nicole smirks humorlessly. “May I come in, ma’am?”

The woman swallows. “W-Why?”

“I need to make sure there isn’t someone in your house that you don’t want to be there, ma’am.”

The woman opens the door with hesitation, and Nicole steps inside, her grip on her weapon tightening.

“Is there anyone else home here with you, ma’am?”

“M-My husband.”

As if cued, a man slams his way into the room from what looks like the kitchen, a bottle of beer in his hand.

Nicole can see immediately that he is not human, but she can’t exactly say that.

“What the fuck is a cop doing in my house?” he growls. “Did you let her in?”

“Standard procedure,” Nicole says, brushing him off. “What happened to your wife, sir?”

“Got smacked by the attic door by accident,” he grunts.

“Hm. She said she fell.”

_“And then she fell.”_

“Right.” Nicole turns back to the woman. “Ma’am, how long has your husband been hitting you?”

“Wh-What?” the woman stammers.

“I ain’t done nothing you fucking pig,” the man spits, surging forward but stopping just short of touching Nicole. “Now get out of my house!”

His eyes burn black, and Nicole can’t help but flinch. She manages to ask once more if the woman needs any help, but, denied, she turns and makes her way back out to her car.

The man follows her outside, slamming the door behind him.

“Sir, go back in your house,” Nicole says, her voice even.

“I can smell the brimstone on you, pup.”

She looks up at him quickly, alarmed. “What?”

“Oh, but you’re a young one, ain’t you? You aren’t even off the teats yet.“ He sneers at her. “You can barely even stand on your paws, pup. Did you buy that badge at a toy store?”

Nicole steps towards him, anger flooding through her, and for a brief moment her eyes flicker fire. “I am not afraid of you, jackass. And I know _exactly_ what you are. And I know _exactly_ what you’re doing to that woman in there. Don’t think that I won’t put a stop to it.”

“Pup, you can’t even control your fucking flames. Come back when you’ve at least learned how to bark.”

Still smirking, the man turns and walks back into the trailer, shutting the door behind him.

Nicole gets into her car and slams the door shut. Tries to catch her breath.

“10-24. Backup can be cancelled.”

_“10-4. Everything good out there, Haught?”_

“Yeah,” Nicole says through gritted teeth. “Everything’s fine.”

Then she speeds off back towards town.

 

+++

 

_ FEBRUARY 21 _

 

“Nicky?” Waverly calls softly as she walks into the barn.

Nicole ignores her, pacing around the loft, muttering under her breath.

Instead of calling her again, Waverly climbs up the ladder and sits on the floor, watching her.

“You’ve been pissed off all weekend,” Waverly murmurs. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Well, tough shit.”

Nicole rounds on her, looking a little bit surprised. “I don’t want to talk about it, Waverly.”

“The alternative is that you stew and act like a miserable jackass for the rest of your life, apparently, and I’m not really cool with that. It’ll be a really boring rest of my life.”

“Well, I-” Nicole freezes. “Rest of…”

“Don’t get caught on the small details, Haught, I want answers first.”

Nicole sighs heavily and leans against the side of the barn. “I just feel… useless.”

“Welcome to my world,” Waverly jokes. When Nicole’s expression doesn’t change, she quickly adds, “Nic, you aren’t useless.”

“I can’t control this thing, Waverly. I see the monsters all the time. I don’t know when my eyes are going to light. Can my body temp be regulated? I have no fricking clue. I just…” Nicole slides down the wall until she’s seated. “I don’t know what to do.”

Waverly makes her way over to her, sitting next to her and linking their fingers together. “We’ll figure it out together, Nicole.”

“How?” Nicole whispers. “You guys don’t know anything about what I am. _I_ don’t know anything. People like me have barely ever existed before.”

“I know.” Waverly kisses her on the cheek, soft and slow. “We’ll figure it out. You know how much I like puzzles.”

Nicole gives a wry laugh. “You can’t solve everything, Wave.”

“Blasphemy. Take it back. I’m perfect.”

Nicole stares at her for a moment before turning her head and kissing her gently on the mouth. “Yeah,” she whispers. “You are.”

“I wish Wynonna would see it more often,” Waverly murmurs. “She still seems convinced that I’ll break.”

“What was it you said? We’ll figure it out?”

“Don’t throw my words back at me. They sound stupid like that.”

“Mm. Like what?”

“Spoken out of your dumb mouth.”

Nicole laughs loudly and kisses Waverly again. “My dumb mouth is good for a lot of things, I’ll have you know.”

“Yeah, trust me, I’m _well_ aware of that.”

 

+++

 

_ FEBRUARY 22 _

 

Nicole sits down on the barstool next to Wynonna’s and orders a soda.

“That’s offensive, Haughtdog,” Wynonna mutters.

“I have to be at work in an hour. It’s safer this way.”

“Fair enough.” Wynonna takes a long sip of her whiskey. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Waverly, actually.”

“Not getting cold feet about the move, are you? Because it’s a little late for that?”

Nicole laughs softly and accepts her soda. “No. No, I appreciate that a lot. I like being with her.”

“Good.”

“I just think… Look, there isn’t really a way to approach this slowly, so I’m just going to say it. You’re being too hard on her.”

Wynonna chokes on her drink and sets it down on the counter. “ _Hard_ on her? What? How?”

“You aren’t letting her help at _all_ , Wynonna. And I understand that you’re trying to protect her. But that isn’t what it looks like to her. You’re suffocating her, and she has _so much_ to offer you. To offer the _team_. It isn’t fair to lock her up in the office and expect her to just sit there while we go out and try to help people.”

“I don’t want her involved. I don’t want her getting shot, or abducted, or-or…”

“Possessed by a demon?” Nicole prompts.

“Yeah,” Wynonna sighs.

“All of that shit has already happened, Wynonna. It’s gonna happen whether Waverly is in the field or not. The only difference is that if she’s out there with us, she’ll feel like she actually matters.”

Wynonna sighs again and takes a sip of her whiskey. “I don’t want anything to happen to her,” she whispers.

“Neither do I.” Nicole pauses, a thoughtful frown forming on her face. “You know… I think I know what can be done to help with that.”


	8. while your blood is boiling

_ FEBRUARY 26 _

 

When Waverly walks into the front door of the Homestead, she hasn’t seen Nicole in over a day, after her girlfriend has worked a double.

With two ten-hour shifts under her belt, Nicole, exhausted, has passed out asleep on the couch, still in her uniform, and Waverly smiles as she goes to check on her.

She stops dead in her tracks when she sees the tiny puppy curled up on Nicole’s abdomen, sound asleep as well.

“Why is there a puppy on the couch?” Waverly wonders aloud.

“That’s your girlfriend,” Wynonna calls from the kitchen.

“Not the puppy I’m talking about, asshole!”

Nicole stirs at the sound of her voice and blinks up at her sleepily. “Hey,” she drawls. “’Sup?”

“Nothing. You have a puppy.”

“Mm? Oh. Oh! Shit.” Nicole makes a half-hearted attempt to sit up and then just stays in her prone position as she holds the sleeping Rottweiler puppy up to Waverly. “He’s for you.”

“For _me_?”

“Mhm. Guard dog. Companion. Entertainment. Whatever you like.”

Waverly frowns slightly. “I don’t really need a-”

The puppy yawns in the most adorable way possible.

“Okay, I guess I can take him.”

She picks the puppy up from Nicole’s hands and cuddles him in her arms, rocking him slightly and watching him doze. “What’s his name?”

“You’re s’posed to pick it,” Nicole mumbles.

“Hm. I’ll have to think about that.”

“Fine with me.”

Waverly gives a soft laugh. “I think you need to sleep, baby.”

“Mhm.”

“Then go ahead.” Waverly scratches the puppy on the ear, then leans down and kisses Nicole on the temple. “G’night, puppy.”

Nicole opens one eye and squints at her.

“I said ‘baby’.”

“No.”

“I-I was talking… to the dog.”

“Also no.”

“Shut up, Nicole.”

Nicole grins sleepily, and Waverly carries the puppy off towards the kitchen. “We’re gonna get you anything you want,” she whispers in his ear. “All the toys. All the best food. The best bed and collar and leash and harness. And you’re gonna be the best boy in all of Purgatory, aren’t you? Yes, you are.”

Wynonna groans quietly as she walks in. “Remind me to kill Nicole later.”

 

+++

 

_ MARCH 9 _

 

Nicole had thought that her hearing was more sensitive after becoming a hellhound, and now she knows she’s right.

Unfortunately, she figures it out when she’s standing in the middle of a room with pounding music blasting from every direction.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t bring any of the boys,” Wynonna jokes next to Nicole. “They’d _never_ be able to be professional in a strip club. Even Dolls would get distracted, I swear.” She pauses, then grimaces and glances at Nicole. “Ah, Jesus Christ. I’m the _only_ member of this team who isn’t gonna be distracted by the scenery. I didn’t think this through.”

Nicole frowns at her. “I know how to do my job, Wynonna.”

“Mhm. Why are you blushing, then?”

“Shut up.”

Wynonna pats Nicole roughly on the back. “Let’s just find the Rev, huh? Seek, girl! Good dog!”

Nicole groans loudly and rolls her eyes, but starts scanning the crowd. There’s a handful of people who don’t look quite human, she’s not sure what they are exactly, but they definitely aren’t Revenants. Then she spots one, standing near the door, and she groans again, much more softly.

“What’s the matter?” Wynonna prompts.

“Er… I found the Rev.”

“Yeah? Which one is he?”

“The… bouncer…”

Wynonna blinks. “The huge dude with five hundred tattoos and muscles bigger than our heads?”

“That would be the one.”

“Oh.” Wynonna takes in a long, deep breath. “This’ll be fun.”

 

+++

 

“You _morons_ are lucky you didn’t _die_!” Waverly snarls, shoving an icepack against Nicole’s head.

“It wasn’t that bad, Waves,” Wynonna protests weakly, pouring herself a glass of whiskey. “We only got a little bruised.”

Waverly takes the glass from her sister and shoves her back onto the couch in order to start bandaging a gash across Wynonna’s neck. “Uh huh. _Sure._ This is _imaginary_ blood. I’m going mad with delusions of- Baskerville, don’t do that.”

The Rottweiler puppy has jumped up onto the chair and snuggled into Nicole’s lap to sleep. Nicole laughs softly and scratches the top of his head. “Better than any ice pack,” she says. “I don’t even feel any cold, anyway.”

Waverly takes the pack from her. “That’s because your dumb hellhound body heat has already melted it all.”

“Whoops.”

“Hey, at least we killed the Revenant,” Wynonna says.

“Mhm. That makes it _so_ much better.”

Wynonna grins at her little sister. “I thought it did.”

Waverly sighs and shakes her head. “You’re both trouble.”

“We know,” Wynonna and Nicole say at the same time.

 

+++

 

Waverly dozes against Nicole, warming herself in the cold night. Baskerville sleeps at their feet, his paws splayed out in strange but adorable directions.

“So, tell me,” Waverly murmurs.

“Tell you what?”

“Did you enjoy the view?”

“The… The what?”

“At the club.”

Nicole splutters for a moment before realizing that Waverly, grinning, is teasing her. “That’s not nice.”

“It was _hysterical_ , though.”

“Oh, sure.” Nicole kisses her firmly. “I mean… yes? I’m not blind.”

“That’s fair.” Waverly leans up and nips at Nicole’s ear. “But I might feel the need to _reclaim_ you tomorrow, Haught.”

Nicole shudders in a way that has absolutely nothing to the icy wind outside. “You can do whatever you want, Waverly Earp.”

“Oh.” Waverly skims her fingers against the thin material of Nicole’s t-shirt. “I plan to.”

 

+++

 

_ MARCH 24 _

 

Nicole responds to a drunk and disorderly at Shorty’s and finds an older man that is glowing faintly trying to pick a fight with a group of twenty-somethings at the pool table.

“Sorry to drag you out here for this, Nicole,” Gus says from behind the bar. “I just didn’t know what the idiot was going to end up doing to himself, and the little pack of idiots isn’t sober enough to put up with him for long.”

“It’s not a problem at all, Gus.”

She heads over to the man and stops a few feet from him. “Sir? You need to head on home, alright?”

“Screw you,” he mutters, tottering on his feet. “Goin’ nowheres ‘til these guys gimme my money!”

“Dude, you _lost_ the game,” one of the rodeo boys says, squinting in confusion. “ _We_ keep the money.”

“Yer cheatin’ me! Stealin’ fro’me! Need that cash!”

Nicole pinches the bridge of her nose. “Guys, how much did he lose to you?”

“Twenty bucks.”

“Could you give him ten back since he’s pretty damn drunk for playing pool in the first place anyway?”

The oldest of the young men shrugs and peels off a ten from his winnings, handing it to the middle-aged man. “Yeah, sure. I don’t give a shit.”

“Thanks. Now, sir. That seems perfectly fair to me. So why don’t I drive you home, okay?”

The man mumbles under his breath but nods, and Nicole escorts him out of the bar and into the back of her cruiser.

“Where do you live, sir?”

“Twentieth and Oswego.”

Nicole blinks. “That’s an empty lot, sir.”

“Yeah, and I gots an empty _life_.” The man giggles like he’s made the funniest joke in the world, and the light coming off of his face gets just a little bit brighter and a little bit more familiar.

It reminds her of the light she saw coming off of the man driving the tow truck, though she knows this isn’t the same guy.

So… same species? Or at least a related one.

Nicole jots it down to research later, or at least to have _Waverly_ research, and pulls to a stop in front of the lot. “Sir, are you sure you don’t want me to take you somewhere warmer? I’m sure there’s somewhere else. A shelter or something.”

The man snorts. “This’s Purgatory, pup. Whole damn _place_ ’s a shelter.”

He gets out of the car and shuffles off down the street.

It’s only after he’s out of sight that Nicole realizes.

He called her ‘pup’.


	9. never can fill the void

_ MARCH 26 _

 

“You’re sure he was just glowing? Nothing else? He wasn’t a Revenant or something?”

Nicole looks at Waverly over the top of the book she’s attempting to read.

“Right. Sorry.”

“I know you’re just trying to help, babe,” Nicole says with a sigh, “but you’ve asked me that like six times.”

“This is just frustrating,” Waverly groans, falling back on the bed with a soft grunt and holding her laptop awkwardly above her head.

“You’re going to drop that on your face,” Nicole comments mildly.

“I won’t- _ow!_ ”

Nicole smirks, her gaze never leaving her book. “Mhm.”

Waverly sits up, sliding her laptop away from her. “That hurt.”

“Told you it would.”

Waverly tugs Nicole towards her by the collar of her shirt. She gives her a small smirk, eyes bright. “Aren’t you going to kiss it better?”

“Sure. Where did it hit? Cheek? Forehead? Temple? I’m flexible.”

“You’re such a smartass,” Waverly laughs, tossing Nicole’s book onto the floor and pushing her onto her back.

 

+++

 

They’re half-dressed and gasping for breath and suddenly Nicole is on the floor, yelping in pain and holding her head.

“What the _hell_?” Waverly scrambles to the edge of the bed, looking down at her. “Nic? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I-I don’t… it’s not… head hurts…” Nicole says through gritted teeth. She lowered her hands slowly, blinking rapidly. “And now it’s gone. What the _fuck_.”

“You know, if you didn’t want sex, you could’ve just said so,” Waverly jokes as she reaches down to help Nicole back up onto the bed.

“Dude. No. Trust me. I would not have done that to myself. Not _then_.”

Waverly raises an eyebrow at her, the smirk back on her face. “You mean when I was-”

Nicole smacks a hand over her mouth to silence her. “Don’t. Make it hurt. Any worse.”

“Lmf.”

“What?”

Waverly bites at Nicole’s hand to get her to lower it. “Lame.”

“… Yeah,” Nicole agrees absentmindedly, staring down at her palm.

“What?”

“Brain is getting growly.”

_“Growly?”_

“Er. It’s the best way I can describe the hellhound impulsiveness that rumbles in the back of my head.”

Waverly skims her finger along Nicole’s jaw. “What does it want?”

A faint fire lights in Nicole’s pupils, and Waverly can _see_ it.

And she’s fascinated by how unafraid she is.

“Teeth,” Nicole murmurs.

Waverly’s breath catches in her throat. “What?”

Gaze still a bit distant, but with a gentleness that makes it clear that she’s still there, Nicole holds Waverly’s chin and leans forward, pressing her teeth against her neck. The bite lingers long enough to leave a mark, and Waverly lets out a soft gasp.

The noise brings Nicole back to her senses, and she leans back, blinking rapidly. “Jesus,” she rasps. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re fine.” Waverly catches Nicole by the hand before she can get off of the bed. “I… would be lying if I said it wasn’t at least a little bit hot.” She tugs Nicole close to her again and lightly teases, “Though, I thought you were a _hellhound_ , not a _vampire_.”

“Uh. Well. Uh. Er.” Nicole flushes bright red. “It’s not… I’m pretty sure it was… Uh…”

Waverly raises an eyebrow. “Uh what?”

Nicole covers her face with her hand and mumbles, “I think it was a territorial thing.”

For a moment, Waverly just stares at her. Then she laughs loudly and tackles her flat onto her back. “Wow,” she snickers. “I thought Baskerville peeing on all the fence posts was bad.”

“Please kill me,” Nicole groans.

Waverly pins Nicole’s hands on either side of her head and kisses her roughly. “Never. You’re mine, Nicole Haught. Even if you’re a big dumb puppy sometimes.”

“That so?” Nicole asks, grinning despite the blush still present on her face.

“It is.” Waverly leans down, her lips right next to Nicole’s ear. “But, just so you know? If you’re going to insist on marking me, I expect to be able to return the favor.”

Nicole swallows, the blush fading to pale. “Yes, ma’am.”

 

+++

 

_ APRIL 5 _

 

Gus walks into the Homestead and finds Nicole sitting on the couch, tossing a tennis ball down the hall for Baskerville to chase.

“So,” she says, taking a seat on the couch next to her. “That’s the little terror you got for Waverly?”

“Yes. I’m pretty sure she loves him more than me.” Nicole shrugs, patting Baskerville on the head. “I’m okay with that. He’s a good dog.”

Baskerville hops up on the couch, sits on Gus’s lap, and leans against her chest, resting his muzzle against her neck.

“Er…”

Nicole snickers. “I think he loves you, too.”

“Great,” Gus says dryly.

As Gus awkwardly pets the puppy, Nicole stares down at her hands. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you. Waverly said that I didn’t have to. But… I felt like I needed to.”

“What, that you’re the reason the kid has a bite mark on her throat?” Gus scoffs. “Gee, I’m really surprised.”

Nicole flushes as red as her hair. “Oh. Uh. Well. That wasn’t really… That’s not what I was going to…”

“Relax, kid. I had to put up with her dating Champ Hardy. Trust me when I say you’re an improvement.”

“You may want to wait until after this confession to say things like that,” Nicole says, laughing nervously.

Gus narrows her eyes. “Why?”

“I-I’m… Well, to put it bluntly, I’m a hellhound.”

Gus stares at her blankly, ignoring the puppy snuffling at her ear. “What?”

“A hellhound.”

“Yeah, I heard, but what does that even mean?”

Nicole reaches out, softly brushing her fingers through Baskerville’s fur, and to her relief Gus doesn’t shy away from her.

“I’m not sure I’ve figured it out yet.”

Gus’s expression doesn’t change from its one of suspicion and bewilderment, but her eyes are soft.

“Well. If anybody could do it, Nicole Haught? I’m pretty sure it’s the kid smart enough to love Waverly Earp.”

Nicole gives a short, sighing laugh. “Yeah. I definitely am that.”

 

+++

 

_ APRIL 13 _

 

Nicole drives back from an assault incident that ended up being a bunch of twelve-year-olds trying to reenact _Star Wars_ in the middle of a highway.

She has already taken several opportunities to thank every possible god that she does not (at least yet) have children.

She’s so distracted by her irritation that she doesn’t pay much attention as she taps open the text message on her cellphone, sitting in a dock on her dashboard.

She’s not so distracted that she doesn’t see the picture Waverly has sent her.

_“Fuck,”_ Nicole hisses. Her car veers just enough to the right and rolls off the road, and she has to stomp on the brakes in order to avoid slamming into a tree.

She can feel her skin burning even hotter than usual as she picks up her phone and dials Waverly’s number.

_“Yes?”_ Waverly answers innocently.

“What the fuck,” Nicole rasps.

_“What’s the matter?”_

“You know damn well.”

She can practically hear Waverly’s mocking pout. _“You didn’t like it?”_

“I almost crashed my car into a tree.”

Waverly cackles. _“Don’t text and drive, Officer Hot.”_

Nicole lets out a soft moan. “You’ll be the death of me, Waverly Earp.”

_“I’m genuinely trying not to be. I want you around for a long, long time.”_

Nicole grips the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles are white.

“Are you going to be home when I get there?”

_“Maybe.”_

“Waverly. Please.”

_“Yes, Nicole, I will be.”_

“Good. I’d be ready, then.”

Waverly laughs. _“I was hoping you’d say that.”_

They hang up and Nicole reverses her cruiser, getting it back onto the road.

As she continues on her way home, she just barely resists the urge to turn on the lights and siren.


	10. going back to my roots

_ APRIL 13 _

 

“I swear to fucking god, there is _something_ in this house,” Nicole snarls, hunting around the bedroom and rubbing at the side of her head.

Waverly, lying on the bed and rolling her eyes, sighs. “Nic. Baby. Seriously.”

Nicole makes a frustrated noise, tosses on a t-shirt and shorts, and storms downstairs.

 

+++

 

Wynonna is sitting on the couch, idly reading a magazine that Nicole is pretty sure is about donuts.

“Do you hear something?” Nicole asks.

“Nope.”

“Well, I don’t hear it _right now_. I heard it when I was upstairs.”

Wynonna shrugs. “Sorry, Haughtdog. Can’t help you.”

Nicole circles the room, irritation in every step. “Where’s Baskerville?”

“Outside. I think he’s hunting rain puddles.”

“Do you plan on giving him a bath when he’s done?”

Wynonna gives a snort and looks at Nicole over the top of her magazine. “Of course not. I’m the fun aunt.”

 

+++

 

_ APRIL 15 _

 

Nicole pulls up to a traffic accident, a single car on its side in a ditch.

She makes a mental note at the irony of a wreck that she could’ve ended up having herself not long ago. Then she gets out of her cruiser with her flashlight tight in her grip and hurries over to the car.

Carefully, she maneuvers herself within sight of the windshield with far more ease than she would have before her new condition.

There’s a teenage girl behind the wheel, and she looks terrified.

“Hey,” Nicole says, keeping her voice gentle. “It’s alright. There’s more help coming. I need you to stay calm for me, okay?”

_“Je ne parle pas anglais,”_ the girl says, panicked.

“Oo,” Nicole mumbles. “The French is a little rusty.” She raises her voice and says, _“Es-tu blessé?”_

_“Non.”_

“Okay. Okay.” Nicole looks around, trying to piece together how the girl even got in this position. _“Reste où vous êtes, d'accord?”_

The girl nods. _“Ouais.”_

Nicole climbs out of the ditch, eyes scanning the trees surrounding the road. Before she can finish checking the area, she spots a coyote in the brush.

She stiffens, scared, but the snarly instinct in the back of her head tells her not to draw her firearm.

Instead, she just stands there.

The coyote walks towards her, sniffing curiously. It nudges its nose against her palm, snuffling her skin as if trying to figure out what to make of her.

It stares up at her, head tilted curiously to the side.

Nicole tentatively lets her eyes glow with fire.

The coyote snorts, nips at her hand so lightly that it doesn’t even break skin, and trots back into the woods.

After a long moment, Nicole whispers, “Cool.”

 

+++

 

_ APRIL 23 _

 

“It should _not_ be this hot in April,” Waverly grumbles, stripping down to her underwear before getting into bed and lying on top of the sheets.

Nicole’s gaze skims over Waverly’s body. “Very hot.”

Waverly throws a pillow at her face.

“Well, I don’t know what you want me to do about it,” Nicole laughs, walking over and getting on top of her.

_“Gross, no, get off.”_ Waverly shoves at her, knocking her onto her back. “You’re a fucking space heater.”

“I can’t exactly help it.”

“Then sleep on the floor,” Waverly whines grumpily, rolling over and burying her face in the mattress.

“Uh…”

“M’serious.”

“… Waverly.”

“Go away, fires of hell.”

Nicole rolls her eyes, tosses a few pillows onto the floor, and pulls the top sheet off the bed. “Summer is going to be fun for me, isn’t it?”

“I love you,” Waverly mumbles.

“Uh huh.” Nicole lies down on top of her pile of pillows. “You’re lucky I love you too.”

She feels Waverly’s hand sneak down and grip Nicole’s own.

“I know,” Waverly sighs, her voice already thick with sleep.

 

+++

 

When Nicole opens her eyes, Baskerville is staring down at her from on top of the bed. His tail immediately starts thumping happily against the mattress, but Nicole just frowns.

“Seriously? _You_ get to be on the bed?”

He curls up and goes back to sleep.

“Show off.”

 

+++

 

_ APRIL 25 _

 

Nicole leans against her cruiser, watching the empty lot where she had dropped off the drunk bar patron.

She hadn’t been able to figure him out yet. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

“You better not be looking for trouble, pup,” his voice says, and she finds him walking towards her, as if he knew she was there.

“I just want to know. Understand.” Nicole takes off her sunglasses and hooks them in her shirt. “What are you?”

The man sticks his hands in his pockets and leans against the brick wall opposite her. “Not sure what the word for it is. My father was an angel. My mother wasn’t.”

“And yet you’re…”

“What? Homeless and getting drunk in bars daily?” The man laughs. “Yeah, puppy, I am.”

“Why?”

He shrugs. “Never saw much use for my bloodline. Never could do much to live up to it. I gave up on what I was a long time ago.” He points at her, the light from his face momentarily increasing. “And don’t think you can _fix me_. That’s not what you hellhounds are for. You’re just guards. Little more than mall cops. You’re here to make sure the bad stuff stays where it’s supposed to be, and that’s it. You’re no hero, pup. That’s not what you were made for.”

Nicole feels her entire body stiffen. “Maybe not. But I chose to become a cop. That doesn’t change just because of some body heat and a newfound ability to take hot pans out of an oven without mitts. I want to protect people. Help them. I’m going to do that whether I was _made for it_ or not.”

The man raises an eyebrow. “You’re coming into your teeth.”

“What?”

“I could sense it. The last time we met. You were completely green. Barely had the confidence to look me straight in the eyes. But you’ve grown. You’re growing. And pretty soon you’ll be able to put the fear of hell into any demon you come across.”

Nicole thinks back to the day she moved in with the Earps. “I did that once.”

“Intentionally?”

“Well… no.”

“The day you do _that_ is the day you’ll truly understand your own power, pup. Until then, you’re still just learning to walk.”

He turns to walk away, but Nicole calls, “Wait! I can’t just… It isn’t right. You having to be out here all by yourself. I should be able to do something to help you.”

“I have never seen a hellhound so determined to be a _protector_ instead of just a _watcher_.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t know me before.”

The man gives a small nod. “True.” He taps his temple in something of a salute. “You don’t need to save me, Nicole Haught. I’ve always been fine on my own. But I think that this town, the supernatural elements of it? They’ll be a whole hell of a lot safer with you in it.”

“I’m not Wynonna,” Nicole says, embarrassment reddening her cheeks.

“No, you aren’t. But the Earp Heir can only do so much. Consider, pup. Perhaps the reason you were chosen for this. You, out of anyone else. Was so that the Heir could save the Triangle, while you save the _people_.”

“… I don’t think I understand.”

The man smiles thinly. “You will, pup. You will.”

At that he turns and disappears down the street.


	11. look into my eyes

_ APRIL 28 _

 

Waverly lies on top of Nicole on the couch, her head tucked up under Nicole’s chin and her hand resting on the puppy asleep on the floor.

“I’m glad it’s cold today. I was starting to miss touching you.”

“You can touch me all you want,” Nicole mumbles.

“Cute.” Waverly pulls up, pressing a quick kiss to Nicole’s lips. “Nicky.”

“Hm?”

“Can you show me the eyes?”

Nicole blinks at her. “What do you mean?”

Waverly gently traces down from Nicole’s temple. “The fire,” she whispers. “When it burns deep in your eyes. Show it to me.”

“I-I… I’m still figuring out how to get a handle on it.”

“It’s okay. Show me.”

Nicole closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, and then opens them again.

Her pupils are lit with fire.

Waverly rubs her thumb under Nicole’s eye and watches the flames flicker. “The way you’ve been handling this amazes me. You had barely found out about all of this. And then suddenly you’re a part of it. _Fully._ But you’ve been figuring it out, managing, so well. I just… You amaze me.”

“It’s not _that_ impressive,” Nicole says shyly. “I’ve been stumbling all over the place trying to get a grip on this.”

“Maybe. But you’ve done it _wonderfully_.” Waverly kisses her, long and slow. “I’m proud of you,” she whispers.

“Believe me,” Nicole whispers back. “That’s better than anything else you could ever give me.”

 

+++

 

_ MAY 16 _

 

“I still can’t believe that I have to wear this goddamn vest.”

Wynonna grins and pats Nicole on the back. “But you look so good, Nicole. You’d definitely win Best In Show.”

“Besides,” Dolls says dryly, barely glancing up from loading the rifle in his hands. “It’s standard procedure, right?”

Waverly snickers as she kisses Nicole on the cheek and hands Doc a flashlight. “Only when the townspeople are carrying pitchforks.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Question, though.”

“Yes, you can get a Scooby Snack when we’re done with this mission.”

Nicole gives Wynonna a long stare before saying, “Why am I the only one who gets shit when Doc doesn’t know how to use a flashlight?”

Wynonna turns in time to see him hitting himself in the eyes with the beam of light.

“That’s more ‘sad’ than ‘funny’, Haughtdog.”

Doc mutters curses under his breath and hands the flashlight back to Waverly. “I’ll just use a damn match.”

“Right then. Whole bunch of people going missing. Shattered windows. We’re going to start actually doing this job now, right?”

Wynonna pats Dolls on the shoulder and shoves him towards the woods. “Yes, Mr. No Fun, we are. Lead away.”

 

+++

 

They break up into two groups: Wynonna and Nicole, and Waverly with the boys. Waverly almost insisted that she and Nicole went together, until Wynonna teased her that she was going to make out with her instead.

The ensuing argument over the potential that Wynonna was maybe planning on making out with either Doc or Dolls had gone on long enough that Nicole broke in and volunteered to go with Wynonna.

It was an awkward situation.

“You know, Haught, I’m a little concerned about you.”

“Why’s that?” Nicole asks, hopping over a fallen tree.

“You don’t understand metaphor.”

“What?”

“That whole ‘put a ring on it’ thing? It’s describing an _engagement ring_. Not a ring of _teeth_.”

Nicole trips and has to steady herself against a tree as her face flushes bright red. “U-Uh… Well. I-I…”

“I understand that it’s a whole supernatural marking ‘this is mine and none of you can have it’ sort of deal, but seriously? _Seriously?_ ”

“Can’t really help it,” Nicole mumbles, rubbing the back of her neck. “And it’s not like she doesn’t do it to me, too.”

“Terrible,” Wynonna mutters, dancing her flashlight beam along the tree roots. “Absolutely terrible.”

“Okay, well, I think that-”

Nicole breaks off. Because she can suddenly both hear and smell something moving towards them.

Something that isn’t a member of their group.

“Cat got your tongue, Haught-”

“Shh,” Nicole hisses. “There’s something here, Wynonna.”

“Is it a chipmunk or the Jersey Devil?”

“I-I don’t…” Nicole turns slowly, surveying the space around her. “This is wrong.”

“What?”

“Something’s wrong, Wynonna. We need to get out of here. We need to get out of here _now_.”

Wynonna pulls Peacemaker off of her belt. “Where is it, Nicole?”

“I can’t… This isn’t right. Something’s wrong. Something’s-”

Nicole plummets to her knees, screaming in pain as she holds her ears. There’s a piercing shriek in the air, a noise so loud and so agonizing that she can’t even process what it sounds like or where it’s coming from.

It’s surrounding her, and it’s drowning her.

_“Nicole!”_

Wynonna grabs her shoulder, terror in her voice.

“Nicole, what’s going on?”

“Can’t… you hear it?” Nicole asks through gritted teeth. She’s folded into a fetal position, her forehead resting in the dirt.

“Hear what?”

“It’s coming.”

“ _What’s_ coming? Nicole, please, you’ve gotta-.”

Nicole screams, pushing her hands even tighter against her ears in a desperate attempt to stop the pain.

“Make it stop,” she mumbles to no one in particular. “Make it stop. Please. Please make it stop. _God, please._ ”

She squints up and, through blurry vision, sees the shape of a woman, glowing pale whitish blue, stalking through the trees towards them.

“W-n-na,” Nicole grunts out.

Wynonna turns around to face the woman, lets out a stream of curses, and raises Peacemaker to fire.

Nicole never sees if it works, because at that second, she topples over and passes out.

 

+++

 

When Nicole opens her eyes, she’s sprawled in the back of Dolls’s SUV, and her head is resting in Waverly’s lap.

“Wha’appnd,” she mumbles.

“Baby,” Waverly gasps. She presses several kisses to Nicole’s face, and Nicole whines weakly.

“Wha’s goin’ on?”

“Your ass passed out, Haughtstuff,” Wynonna says from the seat Nicole’s legs are currently resting on. “You missed all of my cool heroics and banshee killing.”

Nicole blinks rapidly. “That thing was a _banshee_?”

“Yeah, well, nothing is ever simple.”

“God, it hurt like hell.”

“I’m not surprised,” Dolls says from the driver’s seat. “Banshees let off a constant noise. They’re always lingering around the kind of decibel that can break glass, but that can’t be heard by a human ear.” He glances in the rearview mirror. “You must be just canine enough that it was extremely painful.”

“I can definitely vouch for the painful part.” Nicole sighs. “Guess I wasn’t very useful in that fight, though. I’m sorry, Wynonna.”

Wynonna’s eyes are troubled. “Never apologize for that, Haughtstuff. Okay?”

Nicole nods and settles back into the soft feeling of Waverly stroking her hair. “Okay.”

 

+++

 

_ MAY 17 _

 

Nicole carries a bag of trash out and finds Wynonna outside, fiddling with the trash cans.

“Hey. You okay?”

“I should be asking you that.” Wynonna leans against the house. “How’s your head?”

“Still ringing. I think it will be for the next eight years.” Nicole shrugs. “But it’s not bad.”

Wynonna gives half of a shrug. “Yeah, well, I’m glad you’re fine.”

Nicole laughs. “Thanks, Wynonna.”

“Oh, did you ever find out what that other sound you were hearing in the house was?”

“No. No, I didn’t. I only hear it when Waverly and I are… y’know. So I really don’t know what the hell is up with that.”

The older Earp gives the other half of her shrug. “Well. Maybe getting your bell rung will make it stop now. Or something.”

She heads towards the house, and Nicole opens the trash can.

And sees a dog whistle tossed inside.

She glances up before Wynonna can get back inside.

“Hey, Wynonna?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Wynonna blinks at her, bewilderment apparent on her face. Then she smirks, nods, and walks through the door.


	12. this city never sleeps

_ MAY 21 _

 

Nicole chases after a carjacker and finds that she doesn’t hear anything except for the teenager’s heartbeat thudding as he runs. As he tries to turn a corner, she lunges forward, grabbing him by the back of his sweatshirt and yanking him backwards. She spins him around and tosses him up against the building next to them.

“Hey,” she says, grinning. “Where you going?”

“Get off of me, bitch!”

“Not very polite.”

She turns him around to put handcuffs on him, and Nedley pulls up next to her in his police SUV. She shoves the teen into the backseat of the truck as Nedley gets out, saying, “Christ, Haught. The kid’s gotta be 200 pounds of muscle. How did you even grab him?”

“Uh, I’m not sure, Sheriff.” Nicole gives a shrug, a smirk on her face. “I guess I don’t drink as much coffee as you.”

Nedley snorts. “You’re a smartass, Haught.”

“Yes, sir.”

The radios on their belts crackle to life, and Ruthie’s voice says, _“We have a 10-31 at the Earp Homestead.”_

Whatever is left of the message was completely lost on Nicole, whose vision blurs as she processes the information.

A crime in progress.

At the Earp Homestead.

Where Waverly currently is.

“Nicole.” Nedley’s voice calls her gently back to reality. “I’m going to toss this idiot back to the station and then go out there. Mitchell is already on his way. Maybe you should-”

“Waverly’s there,” Nicole interrupts, her voice hoarse.

Nedley watches her for a moment. “Okay. Get in the passenger seat.”

“U-Uhm, but, m-my cruiser…”

“We know where it is. Come on.”

 

+++

 

She can smell blood in the air pumping in through the truck’s AC unit.

Blood. A scent she’s come to identify as fear. And the faint lavender perfume that Waverly put on that morning.

There’s crime scene tape blocking off the front fence and two police officers on the porch. And relief is a lightning bolt through Nicole’s heart when she sees Waverly sitting on the steps, holding Baskerville close to her chest.

“Oh thank hell,” Nicole whispers.

Nedley stops the SUV and pats her on the knee. “Go ahead, Haught.”

Nicole sprints out of the SUV, jumping the fence easily.

_“Waverly!”_

Baskerville stands up, pushes his way out of Waverly’s arms, sets himself between her and Nicole, and _growls_.

Nicole skids to a stop, confusion flooding through her. She can see blood staining his muzzle, and nothing is adding up to her.

Instinct taking over, she crouches down and holds out a hand.

“Basker,” she whispers. “C’mon, buddy.”

The puppy creeps over to her, head down, ears back. He sniffs at her hand as he continues to growl, then the noise stops almost instantly and he hops into her arms, licking at her ear.

“I know, buddy,” Nicole murmurs. “I’m sorry. Bad vibes.”

She carries Baskerville over to Waverly as Nedley talks to the other cops.

“Hey,” Nicole says, sitting down next to her girlfriend.

Waverly rests her head on Nicole’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I should’ve called him back. I-I didn’t…”

“Slow down,” Nicole says gently, pressing a kiss to Waverly’s hair. “What happened?”

“Idiot tried to break into the Homestead. Looking for money.” Waverly strokes her fingers through Baskerville’s fur. “Basker bit him.”

“I knew I got a good dog.”

“You’re a good dog too, Nicole Haught.”

Nicole laughs and puts an arm around Waverly’s shoulders. “Wow. I guess I have to give you that one due to the circumstances.”

“Yes. You do.”

“Well.” Nicole tightens her grip and pats Baskerville on the head. “Lucky for you, I’d give you anything.”

 

+++

 

They sit together on the porch well after the other officers have left, watching the sunlight fade against the trees. Nicole leans down, softly biting just below Waverly’s jaw.

“You know,” she murmurs, “Wynonna was mocking me about that the other day?”

“Mm?”

“Mhm. Called it a supernatural engagement ring.”

Waverly laughs and runs her fingers across the shallow mark. “It’s a little hard to have it engraved, though.”

“Very true.” Nicole leans back, resting her head against the wood. “We aren’t ready yet,” she says, her voice low and steady. “But when we are. I’m going to marry you, Waverly Earp. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

Waverly links her fingers with Nicole’s and smiles gently. “Engaged to be engaged?”

Nicole chuckles softly. “Something like that.”

“I like it.” Waverly leans down and kisses Nicole hard. “Because I like _you_. Hell, I might even love you, Nicole Haught.”

“Might, huh?”

“We’ll see how it goes,” Waverly teases, lying down beside her.

Baskerville curls up, pressed tightly against Nicole’s side as he dozes. Nicole stares at the stars, her fingers locked with Waverly’s. And in that moment, she can feel a fire burning within her stronger than any flame she’s ever seen.

 

+++

 

_ MAY 23 _

 

Nicole paces on the street, absentmindedly flipping open a lighter and pressing her palm against the flame. The heat is comforting, a dull tone that she barely even feels on her skin.

“You shouldn’t be doing that in public, pup. Too much attention.”

She spins around, coming face to face with the homeless half-angel.

“Sorry. Distracted. I was looking for you.”

“There’s not much more information I can give you, pup. I only know some basics. The rest is up to you.”

“No, I’ve gotten it. I think I’ve gotten it figured out. I know why I am what I am. I’m getting a handle on the powers. I’m _understanding_. I just…”

He raises an eyebrow. “Just what?”

“I don’t fully get how I’m supposed to do my job while I am what I am.”

“Hellhounds and police officers have a lot in common on paper. They’re watchers. Keepers of the peace. With a little extra _oomph_.”

“And that’s fine, but if I’m dealing with a suspect who is a demon, how am I supposed to just walk away? Knowing what they really are?” She waves a hand and amends, “I know that I can’t guarantee that they’re evil just because of their species. But if I know that someone is doing something wrong. But I can’t stop them legally. But I also know they’re a demon, or something along those lines. How am I supposed to just walk away from that?”

The half-angel smirks slightly. “Who said you had to?”

Nicole stares at him for a long moment. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

She turns and heads off down the street. “For helping me be sure of who I am and what I need to do.”


	13. i was born for this

_ MAY 27 _

 

She takes her time. Plans it out.

Then drives to the trailer home on West Grimly Avenue.

Nicole slams her fist against the door a few times until finally it opens, and the man– the demon –glares out at her.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, puppy? I’m watching the game, and I really don’t have time for your bullshi-”

She takes him by the collar of his shirt and drags him out of his home, tossing him into the dirt in the front yard.

“What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?”

“Making a point,” Nicole replies coldly. “You’re going to stop hitting your wife. In fact, you should probably leave her entirely. Let her keep all the property. It’s only fair, after all.”

The man stands up slowly, his eyes blank. “You dumb fucking _dog_. You ain’t talking to me like that on my own goddamn property.”

Nicole shrugs. “Pretty sure I just did.”

He lunges for her, but she can hear every heartbeat and see every millisecond of motion. She steps to the side, and he doesn’t come close to making contact.

“Typical hellhound prick,” he snarls. “Won’t even put up a fight. It’s all speed and tricks with you whelps, isn’t it?”

“Okay then,” Nicole says, and she can hear the growling in the back of her head. “Punch me in the face.”

He frowns at her suspiciously. “What?”

“Don’t be a fucking coward. If you’re so determined to hit me, then _hit me._ ”

The man doesn’t hesitate again, pulling back and landing a rock solid punch directly to Nicole’s face.

It rattles her to the core, but to both her delight and shock, she doesn’t even move.

The fire is surging through her blood now, she can feel it racing, and she isn’t standing down.

Not now.

“That’s not possible,” the man spits, fury and fear mixing on his face.

“Apparently it is,” Nicole retorts. She steps forward, grabbing him by his shirt and slamming him into the side of the trailer, holding him a good foot off of the ground. Her eyes bright with fire, she growls, “Do you get it now? You wanted me to come back when I could bark. Well now I _bite_. So we can take this further, and you can severely regret ever stepping foot in this town, or you can agree to my terms.”

“You’re no cop,” he whines, struggling to get out of her grip.

“Oh, I am. But being a cop wasn’t helpful. So today I’m a hellhound.” She winks at him. “It’s convenient that way.” She tightens her grip and watches him struggle just a bit more. “What’s your choice?”

The man hesitates only a minute longer before spluttering out, “Leave. I’ll leave.”

“Good.” Nicole sets him down and gently brushes off his shirt. “And, word of advice? Coming back wouldn’t be good for your health. Just so you’re aware.” She grins, her eyes still burning. “Wouldn’t want this _pup_ to get any more ideas, would you?”

“Fuck off,” he mumbles.

“Yeah, I figured.” Nicole heads towards her car. “I’m coming back tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. You’d better be gone, little demon buddy, because the snarling instincts in the back of my head are telling me to snap your neck. And I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be willing to hold them off.”

 

+++

 

_ JUNE 1 _

 

“Where have you been going every day?” Wynonna asks, swiping a pancake off of Nicole’s plate and eating it dry as she sits down at the kitchen table.

Nicole swallows too early and almost chokes as she shoots a glance at Waverly. “Uhm. I-I don’t know what you mean.”

Wynonna squints at her. “You sneak off somewhere for like an hour every single day, Haught. Seriously?”

“Right.” Nicole clears her throat and rubs the back of her neck, now avoiding the stare Waverly is shooting her way. “I sort of threatened a demon into leaving his wife that he was abusing, and I’ve been making sure he actually left.”

Wynonna cackles and holds up a hand for a high five. “Awesome, Haughtdog.”

_“Not awesome,”_ Waverly says sharply.

With a pout, Wynonna slowly lowers her hand. “Not awesome?”

“Nicky, you’re a cop, you can’t just go around threatening people. I know it’s frustrating sometimes, but-”

“I’m not _just_ a cop, Waves,” Nicole interrupts. “I’m more than that. And I _need_ to be more than that, or else what’s the point?”

Wynonna lets out a low whistle. “I think I’ll head out to the office and let you guys chat.” She pats Nicole on the shoulder on her way, then pats Baskerville on the head in an identical motion.

Once she’s gone, Waverly lets out a long, slow breath. “Nicole. I get it. But I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I know. But this is _who I am_ , Waverly. You’re an Earp. Surely you of all people understand that.”

Waverly just barely flinches, but her nod covers it. “Yeah. I do understand. Can you just… promise to be careful?”

“Always am.”

“No, like _actually_ careful.”

Nicole pouts at her. “Rude.”

 

+++

 

_ JUNE 2 _

 

When Nicole wakes, lying in the cot next to their bed that she’s been using for the hot months, she realizes that she’s in some sort of harness.

“The hell?

“You can’t be trusted,” Waverly mumbles into her pillow.

Nicole follows a leash from the harness to Waverly’s hand, where a loop is tight in her grip.

“Waverly, did you put me in a _kiddie leash_?”

Instead of answering, Waverly says, “Y’know, for a canine, you’re an awfully heavy sleeper.”

Nicole rests her head back down on her pillow and groans quietly. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I know. That’s why you’re dating me.”

“A retort would be easier if that wasn’t true.”

Waverly peeks out at her, smiling. “I know.”

 

+++

 

_ JUNE 8 _

 

Nicole sits across from Wynonna, watching her toss one of Baskerville’s tennis balls against the wall.

“You know, I feel a bit bad for you,” Wynonna says. “You’re clearly not cut out for this supernatural thing, Haught.”

“Hm?” Nicole prompts absentmindedly, still staring at the ball.

“Well, I mean, come on. You aren’t _moody_ and _tortured_. How am I supposed to respect your status if you aren’t miserable like the rest of us? I call bullshit.”

“Mm.”

“Are you even paying attention to me?” Wynonna turns her head and sees that Nicole is still distracted, her eyes tracking the ball.

Curiously, Wynonna chucks the ball down the hallway.

Moving like she doesn’t even know she’s doing it, Nicole stands and follows it, picking it up and bringing it back to her seat.

As she blinks, clearly confused, Wynonna just laughs.

“Wow,” she says. “Way to prove my point, Haught.”

Nicole fidgets with the ball, squeezing it between her hand. “What… just happened?”

Wynonna snorts and gets up to refill her whiskey. She pats Nicole on the top of the head as she passes her. “What happened, Haughtdog, is that you’re a big dumb puppy.”

“Oh. Goddammit.”

“Powerful and terrifying hellhound,” Wynonna mutters, pouring the liquid into her glass. “Dorky and dumb puppy. Yeah. That sounds about right.”

 

+++

 

_ JUNE 9 _

 

“We’re going on a walk,” Nicole says, gripping Waverly’s shoulders.

Waverly, hunched over a book thicker than her head, groans slightly. “You can just massage my shoulders. That would be good. Maybe better.”

Nicole laughs and kisses her on the top of the head. “Later.”

“Fine,” Waverly grumbles. “No fun.”

“I’m tons of fun, Earp. Don’t deny it.”

 

+++

 

They walk out into the fields, Waverly’s hand tight in Nicole’s grip as Baskerville bounces around beside them.

“I wanted to ask if you’re alright,” Nicole says, her voice soft.

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since our conversation about me threatening that demon, you’ve been… off. I just want to make sure everything is okay.”

Waverly is quiet for a long moment. “Sit down.”

Once they’re on the ground, Baskerville chewing on a stick and Nicole idly rubbing Waverly’s shoulders, Waverly says, “Something’s been… bothering me. For a while now. And when you were talking to me about being an Earp, it just all came back up to the surface.”

She gets distracted by the massaging on her shoulders and leans back against Nicole, sighing softly.

Nicole stops the motion, kissing the back of her neck. “Hey. C’mon. What’s going on?”

“Something Bobo said. And I know that I shouldn’t listen to him, but… it’s something that has honestly been on my mind for a while.”

“What is it?”

Waverly takes in a long, slow breath. “That I might not really be an Earp.”

Nicole pauses, her warm hands gently heating the muscles of Waverly’s neck. “Meaning… what, specifically?”

“I-I… I’m not certain that Ward Earp was my biological father,” Waverly whispers.

Without waiting for any more details, without saying a word, Nicole wraps herself around Waverly and hugs her tightly.

Waverly chokes and breaks into tears, crying into Nicole’s arms.

They just sit like that for a while, huddled together, until Nicole says, “We’ll figure it out, Waves. We’ll find what you need to know.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Waverly sniffs. “I don’t even know what I’ll find. For all I know, it’ll just be more hell.”

Nicole grins and kisses the side of her neck. “Haven’t you heard? You have a hellhound on staff. We’re fairly intelligent creatures.”

Waverly laughs through the tears, leaning back heavily against Nicole. “I love you. Even if you’re a stupid puppy.”

“Yeah, well, I love you even if you’re an _actual_ bastard.”

“Quite a pair we make, huh?”

Nicole squeezes her and presses a kiss against her shoulder. “Quite a pair indeed, she whispers.

 

+++

 

Nicole heads into the bathroom to brush her teeth before heading into bed and stares at her reflection in the mirror. Sunken cheeks, shadowed eyes, flames replacing the iris and pupil.

“I know what I am,” she whispers. “And I know what I’m supposed to do.”

The fire lights with an even brighter intensity for a few seconds before the entire image disappears, leaving her human face in the reflection behind.

Nicole smiles and dances her fingers through the flame of a lit candle.

“I’m a hellhound,” she whispers. “And I’m not afraid.”


End file.
